Twilight's The Walking Dead
by TeamCarlisle
Summary: Crossover between worlds of Twilight & The Walking Dead... begins with Edward, Carlisle and Esme escaping to the mountains of Canada while later finding trust in others along the way (Emmett & Rosalie... Alice/Jasper... Bella... Charlie) *I am just trying this out*
1. Opening

Carlisle sat inside of the tent he had been sharing with Esme. He and Edward had been taking turns guarding the area at night when each of them attempted to catch a few hours of sleep.

Sleep was hard to come by in the world they were thrown into. No one had asked for the apocalyptic disease to wipe out what seemed like half of the human race. Carlisle found himself to be in complete disarray over the fact that he, a well respected doctor, couldn't help people when they needed him the most.

The truth was, there was no cure. The plague had spread too fast and the once civil human beings had transformed into mindless monsters with a taste for human flesh.

Carlisle had worked on his last patients until the dead took over the hospital; the walking dead.

He had barely made it out alive and luckily his wife had demanded that Edward take her to the hospital to pick him up when things really started to get out of hand. Had she not, he may have fallen with the masses of others as the zombified humans took over the building.

The three of them had been on their own since, and though it had only been two weeks, it felt like months or years since the world had been right.

"Do you think anyone else made it?" Esme looked at him hopelessly with one response in mind. She needed to know there were others left.

Carlisle looked at her and tucked her beneath his arm. He kissed her forehead, "There has to be."

Esme sighed heavily, releasing all of her emotion in a deep exhale. "I didn't know if you were alive when Edward took me to the hospital."

Carlisle tightened his grip around her. "There's a reason we've made it this far. We'll find others eventually."

"Do you believe that?" Her eyes tilted upward, and all she wanted was his reassurance.

He met her stare. "I do." Carlisle touched his lips gently to hers, "thank you for coming for me. I owe you my life, Esme."

"I could never do this without you. I can't lose you, Carlisle."

"You won't," he assured her, "The three of us will never separate.

" I hope you're right."

Carlisle kissed her once more and then laid flat on his back. Esme cuddled up against him.

"Try to get some sleep," he told her, "You never know when we'll have to pick up and go."

Esme closed her eyes and clutched the front of his sweatshirt. She felt anxious from his last sentence, but exhaustion won the battle and Esme drifted off to sleep.

Carlisle laid next to her feeling the heaviness in his eyes. He always fought off sleep until the very last second when his brain and body shut down simultaneously and he was forced into a dreamland where things were better, or a nightmare where things were, perhaps, worse.

Edward tucked the side of the zippered opening of the tent to the side, and Carlisle focused his attention to him just as his eyes had firmly shut.

"Sorry," he whispered, "There's one by the woods line."

Carlisle was about to sit up, but Edward shook his head and motioned for him to lay down. They both glanced at Esme, who hadn't stirred.

"She's exhausted," Edward whispered again, "I've got this one. There's only one of them."

"No." Carlisle shook his head in protest, whispering back.

Edward flashed a machete he'd been sporting for nearly a week. "We're up in the mountains, Carlisle. There's no one up here but us. I could see him from a distance. Just lend me your ears, that's all. It's what the lookout is all about."

Carlisle wanted to protest, but Edward was confident and adamant enough, and he was far too tired to argue. He nodded and rested his head back down on one of the few pillows they had. Despite how badly he wanted to drift away, out of the chaotic world they lived in, he waited and listened.

There was silence for several seconds. He counted to himself, getting all the way up to twenty-three before he heard the hacking sound and some low growling and gurgling sounds.

Carlisle hated the new world. He hated killing, even the dead, for they were once people, too. On the other hand, he was a man of reason and he understood that they posed a grave threat to his family, and to any other human being that may still be alive. They were rabid animals just waiting to infect the living, and so he never argued when one had to be put down. While Carlisle hadn't done much of the killing, he had taken his part when protecting Esme and aiding in saving all of their lives on more than one occasion. It was out of his nature, though slowly he was beginning to realize that the line of good and evil, right and wrong, was severely skewed and forever shattered.

By some miracle, he, Esme and Edward had made it up into the mountains high above the town they once called home, though they knew they couldn't stay there forever. Winter was right around the corner, and sooner or later the dead would come. They would run out of food in the town and they would flounder the forests for food.

_Those are thoughts for another day_, he told himself.

Edward peeked back in the tent, hiding the blood-covered machete. "Coast is clear," he whispered, looking at Esme again. "Get some sleep... both of you."


	2. Good Feelings

Carlisle awoke just before sunrise the next morning to the smell of something cooking. His eyes flickered open and he stared up at the red vinyl that the tent was made of. To his side, Esme still slept.

Their tent was dark, but he could hear her steady breaths. It was perhaps the only thing left that actually comforted him and made him feel safe and okay. Within a moment his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could clearly see her next to him. She looked peaceful, as she always had when they would fall asleep at night together in their home after a long day. While all else was lost, Carlisle found all of his strength in Esme.

Outside he could hear Edward cooking on a frying pan. Before things had gotten bad, Esme had taken the time to prepare, as she gradually began to fear the worst. She had packed cooking equipment, gasoline, matches, all the clothes she could manage and bags upon bags of food and water. Edward had teased her occasionally about her obsessive packing, though her wildest fears had quickly turned to reality. While the two men had hunted in the past, neither of them were overly proficient in the skill, and so without Esme's food supply they may as have starved to death. Over the last two weeks, however, Carlisle and Edward had begun practicing their hunting techniques for the future.

The top of the tent whipped around wildly and Carlisle heard the howl of the wind outside. It was the end of October, and the winter was threatening to steal away their perfectly placed destination.

Esme stirred for the first time, subconsciously pulling a blanket upward toward her chin as her body shook just slightly.

Carlisle cuddled himself around her and kissed her shoulder over the fabric of her heavy sweatshirt.

_We'll have to move soon_, he thought to himself.

Esme's hand linked through his and she whispered the words she spoke to him every morning, "We made it through another day."

Carlisle smiled to himself, though the notion was sad in itself. While they used to worry about paying the bills, and when the time was right to try starting a family. Now, they had to worry about staying alive through the night.

He pulled her slightly closer to him, "One of many to come."

"Mmm-hmm." Esme was still in a sleepy daze, and had no intention of getting up right at that moment. "Edward's cooking bacon," she whispered.

Carlisle snickered against the top of her neck and Esme smiled.

"It's getting cold at night," she pointed out, shrugging her shoulders reactively.

His smile faded, as his previous fear was brought back to his attention. The three of them would have to go to parts unknown very soon in order to survive the incoming cold weather.

"We'll have to find a place indoors soon," Carlisle said. He cleared his throat, "We've only seen a handful of the walkers since coming up here, so I'd imagine the coast his mostly clear for awhile."

"Yeah..." Esme closed her eyes and tried not to live outside of the moment. Right now the three of them were safe. She was in Carlisle's arms, Edward was cooking breakfast and the "what-if's" to come could be talked about around the campfire at dinner in one of the upcoming nights.

She let the thoughts fade and quickly drifted back off to sleep.

Carlisle remained by her side for several minutes before slinking quietly out of the tent and out into the morning air.

The sun hadn't quite risen, though was struggling to make its way above the horizon to decorate the mountains with warmth.

"Another one showed after you fell asleep," Edward said nonchalantly, "Bacon?" He waved the plate in Carlisle's direction, who accepted a few strips.

"Thanks," he said, and then turned his attention to Edward's original comment, "Another one?"

He nodded and squinted toward the woods line, "Yeah."

"Did you...?" Carlisle didn't finish his sentence, but Edward nodded.

"They aren't human anymore."

"I know." He didn't argue. While remorse still plagued him every time he had to take a walker's life, he more consistently recognized their threat to humanity.

"Where are we going to go, Carlisle?" Edward asked him.

Carlisle didn't know, but he knew he had to provide a sense of stability and security for their small group. "We'll head south down the mountain. There may be a cabin somewhere, or even another group of people. If not, then we'll find shelter in the first secure building we find."

Edward turned to look at him, sensing a sure ring to the tone of his voice, but doubting that things would be that simple.

"The winter," Edward went on, "There's no way-"

"We'll find something, Edward," Carlisle cut him off. He turned to him for a moment, "I promise you both that."

Edward nodded and handed him another strip of bacon. "Don't worry. There is plenty here, and Esme will get double our share." He grinned, knowing Carlisle was about to say, 'save some for Esme'.

Carlisle grinned, "We have to save as much of it as possible."

"I know, but the expiration date on this is somewhat close to being up." Edward smirked, "At least that's my reason for pigging out a bit."

Carlisle grinned again, "We have to get better at hunting, because somewhere down the line we'll have to rely on it."

"Both of us can fish," Edward reminded him.

"Yeah, but with what? We don't have poles. I suppose we could attempt to make some, or if we can get lucky enough to pass by a sporting goods store with some left over equipment, maybe we could get one or two."

"What about that store near the Quileute Reservation?" Edward asked.

Carlisle thought for a moment, and then nodded, "I know the place you're talking about."

"The reservation can't be far from here," he went on, "We aren't overly far from Forks."

He nodded again, "We do have a sort of home field advantage here. We might as well use that to help ourselves."

Edward sighed and looked around them. Things were peaceful in their wilderness home, "Just remember, the town was filled with the infected people; the walkers. How can we get past them?"

"Why don't we attempt to get to the reservation?" Carlisle suggested, "Your Volvo still had about a quarter of a tank of gas in it."

"I thought we were going to try saving the gas."

"I suppose if we have to leave, that would be the time to use it. If we get to the Quileute land, maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be in better shape than Forks."

Edward nodded, "I hope it gets us that far. We drove for over an hour before we got up here."

"We'll get there," Carlisle told him.

"When should we go?"

He thought for a moment, staring at the ground, the sky and the trees around them as he thought. "I don't know. I'd say soon, but if we could get a few more good weeks up here, that would be ideal."

"We may be low on supplies by then," Edward reminded him.

Carlisle nodded, "Why don't we wait for Esme to wake up before we have this conversation."

He nodded in agreement, "Of course."

Carlisle sighed and ran a hand through his hair. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew Edward was right. For whatever reason, he had faith in the thought of reaching the Quileute Reservation.


	3. The Next Step

The topic of conversation throughout the rest of the morning revolved around if and when to move to another location. Esme agreed with what Carlisle and Edward were saying, though she still had a heavy heart and plenty of nerves that accompanied the reality of moving.

She trusted Carlisle with her life and Edward was just as protective. He was her only nephew and Esme had agreed to take him in when his parents passed away when he was eleven. Esme was just twenty-four at the time, though never hesitated when asked if she could raise Edward. That chapter in both of their lives began as a tragedy. Her older sister and her husband were out at a movie and in instant their lives were taken at the hands of a drunk driver on the way home. It had been a a great sorrow and loss for everyone involved, though Edward had bounced back well considering the circumstances. From a sad such a terrible situation came only one real positive; it had brought Esme and Edward closer together. Less than a year later Esme met Carlisle. They were married soon after and for the last six years the three of them lived as a family.

Edward had looked up to Carlisle almost immediately and now that Edward's eighteenth birthday was approaching, the two of them had grown into almost friends. Edward's maturity gave neither Carlisle nor Esme a reason to repremand him much. He respected the rules that the two of them set and rarely tested the boundaries of what he knew as right and wrong.

"How long are we talking?" Esme asked, "When will be the appropriate time to move?"

Carlisle and Edward exchanged a glance, "That's up to all of us to decide, but the sooner the better." He looked to Edward and then back to Esme, "Tomorrow is Halloween. We thought a few days into the next month would be smart."

Esme sighed, hoping they would have wanted to wait at least a week before proceeding. Still, she understood the logic, and wholly recognized the cold that was slowly creeping in on them.

"It's going to get cold fast," Carlisle explained. He could see the fear and disappointment in her eyes.

Esme remained firm. "I know," she agreed, "We need to find a place with more shelter."

"And better all around protection," Edward added, "We're alone now but if someone or something came to cause us harm, we're right out in the open."

"We'll need supplies soon," Esme said, more thinking aloud than anything else.

"Are you sure you're okay with leaving so soon?" Carlisle asked.

She nodded, "It's what we have to do."

The three of them agreed, and attempted to make the most of their remaining time up in the mountains.

_Two days later..._

Edward carefully made his way down the mountain in his still shiny Volvo. Carlisle rode in the passenger's seat and Esme sat quietly in the back, leaning forward in the middle between them.

They hadn't seen a walker since packing up their camp, though everyone was on high alert.

"Do you know how to get to the Quileute Reservation?" Esme asked them.

Edward nodded and Carlisle had a map sprawled out on his lap. He was marking areas with a sharpie marker that he thought may be safer areas than others.

"We're about an hour out," he sat, tracing his finger along the road they were currently driving on.

"No walkers yet," Edward commented, and then proceeded to knock on the steering wheel with his fist, "Knock on wood."

"That's not wood." Carlisle half-smiled without looking up, purposely making a smart comment to lighten the mood.

Edward gave a similar small smile back, though Esme couldn't bring herself to find even the smallest bit of humor in their situation. All she could think about were the unknowns and the real possibilities that they could end up in a life or death situation soon. While she certainly feared for her own life, the thought of losing Carlisle or Edward haunted her more.

"Hopefully we can find some guns at the sporting goods store," Edward said.

"If it hasn't already been raided," Carlisle reminded him.

"Yeah..." He glanced around the wooded areas on either side of them, waiting for the next appearance of a zombified human-being.

Carlisle turned to Esme, "Are you okay?"

She looked into his eyes and nodded, though she knew he could see right through her.

"We're going to be okay," he promised, placing his hand over hers on the shoulder of the seat, "We'll be together."

Esme nodded, still unable to smile and placed her other hand over his.

"What's that?" Edward asked, pointing up the way.

Carlisle and Esme both adjusted their attention to where he was pointing.

"It's a person," Carlisle said immediately. He leaned forward as far as he could go toward the windshield.

"A walker?" Edward continued to stare, slowing down just slightly.

Esme swallowed hard and could only stare. Her heart stopped at Carlisle's next word.

"Stop," he ordered.

Edward and Esme both looked at him.

"It's a young woman," he explained.

"We have to keep going, Carlisle," Edward said. He turned to him momentarily.

Esme, too, regretted it but agreed with Edward. She didn't want to stop and put them in danger if the young woman was bitten, or already changed. What good would it do?

Carlisle looked at the two of them before he clicked open the door.

"Carlisle!" Esme clutched onto the fabric of his shirt. "Don't."

He stared at her for a moment before seeing the woman stir just slightly from her position on the ground. She seemed to have no idea that they were there so close.

"I'll be right back," he said quietly, before kissing her once on the lips.

Edward looked back at Esme, who didn't take her eyes off of Carlisle as he marched ahead of them only a few feet off the beaten path. A moment later, he squatted down by the mystery person ahead of them.

Esme felt as if her heart was beating out of her chest, and quickly allowed it to get the best of her. She whipped out of the car and darted toward her husband, hearing Edward calling for her as silently as he possibly could. She sensed him exit through the driver's side door, though she didn't look back.

Carlisle looked over his shoulder and waved Esme toward him.

"She's in shock," he said to her.

Esme turned her attention to the ground where a beautiful blond woman laid. She had bruises on her face and her purse laid next to her, ransacked in the grass.

Edward hurried up behind them. "Is she bitten?"

Carlisle shook his head, "I don't think so."

The young woman's eyes flickered open, though she didn't initially say anything.

Esme took it upon herself to remove the jacket she had on. She wrapped it around the woman, "Let us help you. What happened?"

For a moment she didn't answer. She scanned each of their faces, and Carlisle was tempted to check her vitals, though refrained for a moment to allow her to respond.

The woman's face was filled with pain. She stared at each of them again before she cleared her throat. "They... they took everything."

Esme felt sympathy in her heart. She ran her hand soothingly across her forehead and through her hair.

"My name's Carlisle. I'm a doctor," Carlisle informed her, "Is it okay if I check your pulse for your heart rate?"

The woman stared up at him and then nodded.

"Were you bitten?" he proceeded to ask.

"No," she said quietly, shaking her head. "I was attacked by people, not the... undead."

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a glance.

"What's your name?" Esme asked. "I'm Carlisle's wife Esme. This is Edward." She motioned upward.

The woman closed her eyes for a moment and then reopened them a moment later. "I'm Rosalie. Rosalie Hale."


	4. Rosalie

Carlisle looked at Esme, and then back to the young woman. "Rosalie..." he swallowed and looked around the wooded area, "I'm going to leave the decision up to you, but the three of us are relocating from the mountain to the Quileute Reservation. I don't know if you know where that is but unless you object, I think it would be a good idea if you came with us."

Rosalie still looked as if she was trying to compose herself. She thought for a moment before nodding. "I guess."

"We're good people," Esme assured her, though acknowledged that anyone would say that. "Carlisle, like he stated, is a doctor. I'm a kindergarten teacher and Edward was in his senior year at Forks High School."

Rosalie studied each of their faces, before struggling to sit upright. Carlisle and Esme both aided in the process before they helped her to her feet.

"Do you think you can walk?" Carlisle asked her.

"Yeah," Rosalie answered, "Yes." She looked around the immediate area and took a step before stumbling.

Carlisle caught her, and Edward lunged before he took over in Esme's spot.

"I've got it," Edward assured her, before the two men carried the young woman to the Volvo. Esme followed a step behind before helping Rosalie get settled in the back seat.

Carlisle nudged her and closed all the doors before talking with Esme somewhat privately.

"She's in a state of shock. Whatever happened to her was very traumatic. Try to keep her calm if you can, and any information we can gather from her would help." He looked at Esme intently as he spoke.

She nodded, "Of course. I'll make sure she feels comfortable with us."

"Thank you." He tilted her face toward his gently and kissed her once. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Esme sighed and re-opened the back door. She hopped in beside Rosalie and Carlisle shut her door before making his way to the passenger seat.

Rosalie sat upright and looked lazily out the window.

Esme quickly reached to the floor into a small bag and removed a water bottle. "Rosalie..."

The woman turned and then focused on the Poland Spring bottle in her hand.

"Drink this," she said, "It may help, even just a little."

Rosalie looked skeptical for a moment before she reached her tired hand over.

"No one's drank from it," Esme told her. "Please."

Rosalie's eyes looked up and then she removed the bottle from Esme's hand before undoing the cap and downing the bottle of water.

Edward looked at the young woman in the rearview mirror, though kept his attention on the dirt road. He peered into the woods on either side of them, searching for people or walkers, or anything that moved.

Rosalie sighed as she finished the bottle and then wiped her mouth, appearing as if she hadn't been that satisfied in years.

"Do you want more?" Esme asked her.

The bottle fell out of Rosalie's now nearly limp hand, and she looked at Esme, shaking her head.

"Are you sure?"

Rosalie nodded. "Thank you. It's been days since I've had water."

"Who was with you?" Esme asked her, "Who did this to you?"

Carlisle and Edward each leant an ear into the conversation, though didn't take part.

"Why are you all helping me?" Rosalie asked.

Esme looked at Carlisle, and then proceeded with an honest answer. "We haven't seen many people since this all started," she admitted, "I think we all need to lean on each other if we're going to survive it. You needed our help, and we helped you. We're good people."

"Carlisle's a great doctor," Edward added.

There was more silence before Rosalie decided to open up a bit.

"I..." She closed her eyes, "I was beaten and ditched for the 'greater good'."

"What do you mean?" Esme asked, "By who?"

She hesitated and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, before studying her dirty, chipped fingernails that had been previously French manicured. "They were... my friends... and my boyfriend."

Esme could see the resentment and fight in Rosalie's expression. "What?"

She turned, still glaring from her most recent memories, "They were running out of supplies," she went on, "I carried them all, and I had been rationing everything out by fives. There were five of us hiking out here for weeks."

"So they just..." Esme didn't finish the sentence.

"They aren't the people I thought they were," Rosalie stated, "They pushed my friend David into a pile of the undead people. I saw it, and I was too terrified at the time to say anything. They told me to run, so I did. It seemed like miles to me, but I can't say for sure. When we were far enough away, they turned to me and Royce, the guy I was dating, took a swing at me; and I mean a full swing, not a slap or a push. He hit me hard and knocked me down."

Carlisle turned from his position in the front. Edward glanced again in the rearview mirror and Esme saw his hands tighten around the steering wheel.

"I started to get the vibe in the last month of our relationship that he was a jerk, but I never thought he'd hit me." Rosalie shook her head, "He was cute; rich. For a little while I thought I had it all." She sighed, "Long story short he beat me until I just laid there and then took the supplies and left. That was the last time I saw him."

"What's his full name?" Edward asked.

"Royce King," Rosalie told him.

Carlisle stared at Rosalie for a moment before he and Esme exchanged a glance. "I'm very sorry," he said to her, "I'm sorry that someone hurt you."

She sighed through her nose and leaned back in the seat. "I thought the undead were the only thing to fear."

Esme put a comforting hand on her shoulder and echoed Carlisle. "I'm sorry."

"Well after the firepower we're about to get, they'll be sorry if we ever bump into them again," Edward stated.

Carlisle glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and then looked back at Rosalie. "You're safe now. Stay with us as long as you'd like. We're hoping to find supplies on the reservation. Have you heard of it?"

Rosalie placed a hand on her swollen eye and winced, but answered his question. "Yes."

"We'll search for some ice when we arrive," Carlisle told her, "It'll help the swelling. For now maybe try a water bottle. They're more room temperature than anything, but it may help a little."

She nodded and Esme handed her another bottle.

"I'm sorry, Rosalie," Esme said again.

Rosalie's jaw was stern, "It's okay. I've never done anything... violent," she told them, "I don't even like killing the undead, but if I see Royce King again..." she paused, "I'll kill him."


	5. Stampede

The drive was quiet. Esme could tell that Rosalie wasn't up for much of a talk, and she couldn't blame her. Not only had the world gone to hell, but her own boyfriend had turned on her in the worst way.

A surprisingly quiet half hour had gone by as the four of them chose the quietest of back roads to travel on. While Esme had passed through the Quileute Reservation before, she wasn't overly familiar with the area. She had no idea how close they were to their destination.

Edward's landed on a flipped over police cruiser on the side of the road where they drove. He could see Carlisle arching his neck to see if there was someone in it, and so he slowed down a bit. When they both saw nothing, he sped up and continued on the drive.

"Carlisle," Esme said, "Do you know how far we are from the reservation?"

He turned to face her completely, "I'd guess about twenty minutes." His eyes scanned her expression, "Are you doing okay?"

She nodded and glanced over towDd Rosalie who had an elbow leaned against the door and her hand on her face. She looked solemnly toward a backpack that had been draped over the guard rail that was accompanied by streaks of blood.

"Rosalie," Carlisle spoke, "Would you like another water bottle to put against your eye?"

She turned slowly to face him, looking heavily defeated before shaking her head. "I'm fine."

He nodded and looked back at Esme, "It shouldn't be long."

"We're going to need some weapons," Edward told them, "More than what we have."

Carlisle looked at him and nodded in agreement, "Let's hope there's something useful left."

"Look!" Esme pointed up ahead, "There's a walker up there."

"Two," Edward pointed out.

All of th, including Rosalie, leaned forward for a closer look.

"That one isn't a... walker," Rosalie pointed out, "He's still human."

Edward slowed the car down to get a good look.

"He's calling for help," Carlisle told them. His eyes scanned the floor of the car by his feet and he reached for the machete that Edward had been toting around.

He then opened the door, causing Edward to stop the car completely.

"Carlisle!" He and Esme screamed at the same time.

Esme opened her door but Edward lunged into the back to stop her. "Don't!" He ordered.

Rosalie was now alert and sitting stiffly on the edge of her seat. She watched as Carlisle approached the man, who was still half of a football field away.

Edward put his foot on the gas to catch up as Carlisle was at a full sprint.

"There's another one of those things," Rosalie stated in alarm.

"Oh my God." Esme put her hand on her forehead and unrolled the window.

"Help!" The stranger called. He was now being cornered by the two walkers.

Carlisle's voice was frantic, " Hold on!" He shouted.

"He's not going to get to him in time," Edward said, and then called out his name, "Carlisle!"

The stranger began to wave his arms before one of the walkers clutched the man's shoulder and bit down. A terrible high pitched scream filled the air and Carlisle immediately put on the breaks, stopping in his tracks as the walkers had their way with the man.

Blood shot through the air, and Rosalie put a hand over her mouth.

"Carlisle!" Esme called out the window, "Come back to the car!"

Carlisle stood in shock for a moment, before making his way back in the direction of the car.

Everyone's attention was on him, though he froze for a moment.

"Come on!" Esme urged. She could feel tears welding up in her eyes from the fear of losing him. She waved her hand out the window.

Edward shouted and even Rosalie urged him on.

Carlisle pointed toward the opposite side of the road behind the car. "Go," he told them.

"What?" Esme asked.

Edward looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened. A massive pack of walkers had begun to emerge from the trees. They were creeping in slowly on the car, though were within a few strides now of making contact with the vehicle.

Rosalie followed his gaze and screamed. Esme couldn't take her eyes off of Carlisle.

"Carlisle, get in the car!" Edward demanded.

"Drive up the road!" he called back, beginning to run in that direction. "I'll hop in the car up the street."

"Just get in!" Edward screamed.

"Drive Edward!" Carlisle demanded back with more force. He continued to sprint, forcing Edward to obey his wishes.

Esme stared in horror, now fully recognizing the large ground of the undead as one of them managed to slide a bloody hand across Rosalie's window. The two of them shrieked, and Esme returned her attention to Carlisle as Edward attempted to put distance in between them and the potential threat.

The two walkers that had attacked the other man had gotten wind of their presence and now began walking toward Carlisle, who continued to run.

It appeared as if a flood of walkers were closing in on them, as they now appeared from every nook and cranny the woods had to offer.

Edward continually looked out his window, seeing a new, dead face every time he did.

_When are they going to stop_? He wondered.

"Carlisle," Esme called again, feeling her voice crack.

"Don't stop the car yet!" he called, looking over his shoulder once. His eyes scanned the area in front of them and landed on a sign that ready 45 MPH. He pointed as he ran, slightly out of breath, "They seem to be gone up by that sign. You need to drive to there and I'll be able to get in without putting you in danger."

Esme looked ahead. The sign seemed to be miles away, though she knew it wasn't more than a couple hundred feet.

She wanted to protest, but Carlisle had a goal in mind and she knew they had to go with it.

"This is going to be close," Edward said, worrying her more. He then called out the window, "Get closer to the car!"

Carlisle did as he suggested and ran at a more diagonal slant so he was close to being side by side.

Edward's car was going less than ten miles per hour as he stayed even with Carlisle as he ran.

"Don't stop until you get to the sign," Carlisle demanded as he ran.

"I'll stop, get in," Edward said back.

He ignored him and continued to run, looking side to side as the thickness of the mass of walkers grew closer.

Edward looked in the rearview mirror and felt a slight horror at the image that was now in the area where they had just come from. Not an inch of the road was free from a walker. It looked like a stampede had just come out of nowhere.

The 45 mph hour sign was just fifty feet away now. Carlisle closed in toward the car, seeing the closer walkers making their way toward the vehicle. He knew it was going to have to be perfect timing.

"Close the windows," he said, "Close the windows."

Esme and Edward did as he asked and Esme looked at him through the pain of glass.

_Please_, she begged_ please let him get to the car_.


	6. Regrouping

Edward pulled the car toward Carlisle until it was unmoving, though still in drive.

"Get in the car, Carlisle!" he shouted, "I'm not moving until you do!"

Rosalie's eyes widened as she glanced out the window at the mass closing in on them with more tenacity than before.

Carlisle took a hard left and bolted toward the car, seeing four or five of the walkers approaching on Edward's side. He reached for the door handle and slid himself inside before Edward peeled out, leaving the hungry zombies behind.

No one spoke for a few minutes. Carlisle breathed heavy in the front seat and let the machete slip out of his hand. He slumped down and rested a hand on his forehead for a moment, catching up to the reality of the situation.

Esme wanted to hug him and kiss him and slap him all at once. She understood how good of a person Carlisle was. It was why she married him. Her biggest fear was that he would be so selfless that he would end up losing his own life in an attempt to save the world.

Rosalie looked over her shoulder and it was visibly obvious that she was not up for another run-in with walkers. Not that any of them were.

"That's what almost got you killed at the hospital," Edward said finally.

Carlisle didn't immediately respond. He swallowed hard, still slightly shook up.

"You can't keep trying to save everybody," he went on, "You-"

"I'm not just going to let someone died," Carlisle said, "Not if there's a chance they can be saved."

"Who can you even trust anymore?" Rosalie commented, more thinking out loud than anything else.

"Valid point," Edward agreed. "You aren't hunting at the fact that we shouldn't trust you, are you?" He had half-kidding ring to his voice.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, though didn't respond and tried to neutralize herself by looking out the window.

Carlisle was hesitant to turn around to face Esme. He knew he had gone against her wishes. They'd had several talks about "what-ifs" and scenarios, and while he knew she would wholly understand where he was coming from in attempting to save the man's life, she would also not be happy that he was so reckless in acting on his impulse without assessing the risks.

Eventually he turned himself around and made eye contact with his wife. She adjusted her gaze from out the window to meet his eyes. Neither of them said anything, though she showed her displeasure in her posture and facial expression.

He let his hand drift down to her knee, but Esme shifted her eyes back out the window. She felt like crying out of fear and frustration. All she could think about was the real fact that Carlisle could have just lost his life. The three of them could have ben driving away without him and she would have been left devastated and lost. Esme suddenly realized that she wasn't sure what she would do if she lost him. She liked to believe she'd go on, but she wasn't completely confident that she wouldn't collapse and give up on the mess of a world they now lived in.

"Esme," Carlisle spoke softly.

"What?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

His eyes begged her to hear him out, and he would have continued to push the issue until she talked to him if they were alone. Considering Edward was driving and he didn't know Rosalie, he backed off and gave Esme the time she needed to cool off until she was ready to talk.

Esme landed her eyes back on Carlisle as he turned back around to face the windshield. She wanted to prove her point and stay mad at him, though she also recognized that holding grudges, even for just a few minutes, could lead to everlasting regret in the world they lived in. At any moment any one of them could have their life stripped away. It was that thought that made her want to burst into tears and throw her arms around him and tell him it was okay.

A single tear streaked down her cheek, though no one seemed to notice and so she brushed it away. After a minute or two she placed a hand on Carlisle's shoulder lightly, causing him to turn around part way.

In his peripheral vision he could see her solemn expression and so he placed a hand over hers for a moment before the two of them drew their hands back.

Esme sat back in her seat and couldn't completely take her eyes off of Carlisle. A few more tears rolled away from her eyes and she had to force herself to get out of the mood she was in. She glanced at Rosalie out of the corner of her eye and suddenly realized that she, too, was wiping away silent tears. Esme suddenly began to think of the poor girl's situation. This beautiful young woman was left to die on the side of a dirt road by a pack of selfish human monsters. Her world had been shattered on all levels, and now she was traveling with the three of them on a chance that they wouldn't do the same to her.

Rosalie sniffed in once quietly, and turned to see Esme's teary eyes. The two of them shared a solemn smile before Esme spoke quietly.

"I'm sorry Rosalie," she said, "I'm very sorry for what happened to you. I hope you know you're safe with us."

She nodded, getting a sense that Esme's words were true. Her impression of the three of them was a positive one. Rosalie could see that Carlisle was truly a compassionate man with the greater good in mind. He'd saved her from the good in his heart and she could see that Esme was deeply affected by the close call back with the walkers.

"Safe," she finally spoke, "Safer I suppose. None of us our safe."

Edward looked in the rearview mirror, seeing Rosalie's reddened eyes. He didn't say anything.

"Thank you," Rosalie went on, "All of you... thank you for coming to my aid on the side of the road."

Esme nodded and Carlisle turned around partway again.

"We're hoping to find shelter on the Quileute Reservation," he told her, "Unless you feel strongly otherwise, I think it's best if you stayed with us."

Rosalie looked around at the three of them, and then landed her eyes back on Carlisle. "Yeah," she said, "That's fine with me if it's fine with you."

"Of course," he told her, glancing at Esme once before turning back around.

Esme could tell that he wanted to talk to her. On the rare occasions that they argued it always bothered him when she stayed angry with him for a short while. Carlisle always wanted to talk things out and make things right.

She thought for a moment about the positives. Carlisle was alive. They were on their way to the Reservation in search of supplies. They had saved Rosalie's life. All of them were together.

"I'd say we're less than twenty minutes out," Edward told them. He looked at Carlisle and then Esme before returning his sole attention to the road. "We're about to see what's left of the towns around here. Maybe we rode out a good portion of the madness up in the mountains. Maybe we'll find a safe place and the herds like that one we just saw are migrating."

"I'd like to think that there are some place still livable," Carlisle said. He sighed, "Let's hope one of those places is the reservation."


	7. Shopping Around

The world around them was eerily quiet. Every car left was abandoned or overturned. There wasn't a human soul in sight.

Edward rounded a bend in the road at a high point on the reservation that overlooked the ocean. The scene would have been beautiful, as a mixture of mostly clouds and a little sun decorated the sky in a cliché 'autumn in Washington' fashion. The collection of trees and cliffs completed the picture-perfect image. If they weren't aware of the situation at hand, it would have all seemed peaceful.

"The store will be up here on the right," Carlisle said, "I believe."

Edward nodded, "Yeah, I think so, too. It's been... a long time since I've been over here."

Rosalie made eye contact with him in the rearview mirror as Edward rounded the last bend before the store came into view.

"There it is," Esme said, pointing toward the road-side shack.

Edward slowed the car down to a halt, and at the same time everyone look around the area. When there was no one in sight, the four of them focused on the shop.

The big wooden door was wide open and a ripped screen door tapped lightly against the side caused by the winds from the ocean, the windows on every side were shattered and random streaks of the blood decorate the window panes.

"This is..." Rosalie searched her mind for the appropriate word. "Depressing."

" I can't believe this is what's left," Esme said. She shook her head.

"Let's see if there's anything useful inside," Carlisle suggested. He turned around in his seat and waited for a look of approval from Esme. When she nodded he turned back around and slowly clicked his door open.

Esme quickly joined him out of the car, scanning the area with her eyes again.

Carlisle slid his hand through hers and then leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

She sighed and squeezed her hand against his before leaning into him for a moment. "It's okay."

Edward walked around the front of the car with Rosalie at his side. He held the large knife, gripping it tightly as if he was ready to take a hard swing at that instant.

Carlisle unlinked his hand with Esme, walked just a step ahead with Edward while the women stayed closely behind them.

"I don't hear anything," Edward said, listening for the typical sounds of the walkers.

Carlisle crept slowly toward the open door and stayed still for a moment, agreeing with Edward's statement. "I don't either."

Edward looked at Esme, "Do you want to stay outside or -"

"I'm coming in," she said immediately, cutting him off.

"Me too," Rosalie chimed in.

Edward turned to look at the newest addition to their group, and then turned back around as Carlisle took the first step through the door's threshold. The floor creaked as he lifted his body up the step and Esme's hand clutched around the fabric of his shirt.

Carlisle breathed in once quietly before taking another step, this time with Edward at his side.

There was only a short entryway before a giant room filled with shelves and a cash register welcomed them. The small shop had been completely ransacked. Almost everything on the shelves had been confiscated. Nothing was in order the way it had been prior to the apocalyptic turn of events. The register was half-open and everyone was sure it was empty, not that the value of a dollar did them any good anymore.

"It's all gone," Edward said, sounding as if someone had taken the wind of his sails. His feet shuffled along the floorboards as his sneaker made contact with a stray bullet.

Carlisle looked down seeing the piece of metal spin and slide across the floor. He glanced around the place. "Clear the isles with me," he instructed, "We can still look around to see if there's something useful here; anything."

Edward didn't move for a moment, let his age show in the complete hopeless look on his young face.

"Edward," Carlisle said again, this time a little firmer, "Come with me isle by isle to make sure we're clear of walkers. Then we can see if there's anything of value."

"There's nothing here," he replied.

"Edward..." Esme raised her eyebrows and looked at him sympathetically, "We've come all this way. We should at least look." Her eyes landed on a back door that was partway open, "It looks like there's another room back there."

Rosalie's hand landed on a small dream-catcher that hung from the wall. It was perhaps the only item in the store left untouched. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to take it with them and so she removed it from its hook and slipped it into the pocket of her pants.

"Stay behind me," Edward ordered, looking right at her. He stared at the feather that hung from Rosalie's pocket and then returned his stare to her eyes. "Okay?"

"Sure." She nodded and followed closely behind him as he made his way isle by isle.

Carlisle and Esme mirrored them at the opposite end of the isles and within a few minutes, they'd ruled out the possibility of any walkers in the main room of the building.

"What about back there?" Esme pointed. "We should check there too."

Carlisle nodded and looked at Edward, "Come on."

The two of them made their way slowly toward the back room and quickly confirmed that the place was free of any threats.

Edward pushed his way back into the main room, angrily ruling the possibility of using anything that had been left over. There were a few cheap lock boxes, more dream catchers, a drum and stray bullets.

"Nothing," he said again in disgust, tossing just the shell of a bullet against the wall in anger.

"Keep the bullets," Carlisle told him, "Just in case."

Edward put a handful in his pocket before Carlisle and Esme disappeared into the back room.

"Think they'll find anything back there?" Rosalie asked, making conversation.

He shook his head, but didn't verbally respond.

"We need a gun... more knives... something."

The two of them looked around some more, before Rosalie spotted a small blade with a beautifully decorated teal and brown handle in the back corner of the room.

"Hey," she said, picking it up from the floor "Look at this."

Edward joined her and ran his hand along the edge of the blade. His thoughts were mixed. "It's a little small." He continued to play with it, "But I suppose it would do the job. Sharp enough."

"I could tie it to the end of a stick or something," Rosalie said. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on a half roll of athletic tape that had gone unnoticed. "Or I could tape it."

Edward's eyes followed hers to the roll of tape and he ran over to pick it up as if someone would be challenging him for it. "That could work."

Carlisle wandered out of the other room and Edward's eyes widened. "How did someone miss _that_?" he asked, noting the crossbow in Carlisle's hand.

Esme followed him out with a small smile on her face and held a collection of arrows that went with it.

"Good thing we looked around." Carlisle smirked and Edward smiled wide.

"You're right," he agreed.

"And I thought this was a big find," Rosalie said, smiling for the first time since they'd found her. She flashed the knife and the roll of tape.

"I'd say this was a successful stop," Esme told them with a nod.

"That might better than a gun," Edward told Carlisle, "It doesn't generate any sound. It's accurate... the arrows are obviously reusable. As long as we collect the arrows and they don't break we'll never run out of ammo."

Carlisle nodded. "Why don't we move along," he suggested. "We need to find a secure place to stay, even if temporarily."

Edward and Rosalie both nodded.

Carlisle looked at Esme. "Are we ready?"

She nodded, "I'm ready." Her eyes drifted to Edward first and then Rosalie.

For a moment there was a silence before Rosalie spoke.

"Thank you," she told them all. Her voice was steadier than before, "I'm grateful that you stopped. I'd probably be dead otherwise."

Esme leaned in and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're with us."

Rosalie sighed. "Me too."

Carlisle and Edward let the two of them share a moment before heading back outside toward the car. The atmosphere was quiet and unbelievably still, considering the circumstances.

"Let's get out of here before we find something," Edward said.

"Or something finds us," Rosalie added.

He smirked and nodded before each of them agreed to get out while things were good.


	8. Good Day

"We've got to get somewhere before it gets dark," Edward said, "If we're out here unprotected at night..." He shook his head.

"You're right," Carlisle agreed, "We need something."

"We passed by a few houses," Rosalie pointed out.

Esme felt a little silly for asking but she couldn't help herself. "Can we... just go in?"

Rosalie turned to look at her, "That's what Royce, his friends and I did for a little while before we were forced out by walkers." She looked around at all of them, "There's nothing left anymore."

"We made our way up into the mountains when this all started," Carlisle explained. "I was working, the hospital got overrun and Esme and Edward came to pick me up. We've been camping out away from all of this for weeks."

"Why did you decided to move?" she asked.

"The cold," he explained, "We won't be able to stay up there all winter. We need to find something stable."

Rosalie nodded, "Makes sense."

"Should we stay on the reservation?" Esme asked, "It's quiet."

"The quietest place I've seen," Rosalie added.

"There's a lot of land up here," Carlisle told them, "Probably some quiet places to find a house if one's abandoned."

Edward came to a stop sign and slowed the car down to a crawl out of habit before going through it. "We should get off the main road," he suggested, "Hit a back road and look for houses there."

"People are getting worse," Rosalie told them. She shook her head, "We came across looters, people beating up people for their things." Her hand drifted toward her face. "People were slowly losing their humanity. We should stay away from everyone we can."

Edward took the next right off the main road, leaving the view of the ocean in the dust. The four of them traveled around a few back roads, passing several houses on the way. No one knew if they were occupied or not. Stray walkers decorated the streets, though Edward's car was far too fast to consider them as threats. They were slow moving, mangled and making their way alone. There was no reason to stop and attempt to kill them, and so Edward kept driving.

"Not a single person..." Esme thought aloud. She glanced around the darkening atmosphere. "We need to find a place soon."

Edward slowed down the speed of the car upon seeing a black mailbox with the number 240 painted on it. Up the driveway there was an oversized house with a front porch and a two-car garage unattached off to the side.

The area appeared to be vacant, and no cars remained in the driveway, or in the garage. Trees provided a moderate covering of the house on all sides, more heavily in the back of the house.

"Why don't we check this place out?" Edward suggested. He looked at Carlisle. "What do you think?"

"What if someone still lives here?" Esme asked.

"We'll knock."

"I think it's definitely worth a shot," Carlisle said.

"We need something," Rosalie agreed.

Edward didn't wait for further discussion. He rolled the car slowly into the long driveway, letting the headlights decorate the house and all areas surrounding it.

"No walkers yet," he informed them, "Good start."

"Knock on wood," Rosalie said.

Esme let out a deep exhale, and then pointed towards the edge of the woods. "There's one over there. He's starting to come this way."

"We'll have to cut the lights on the car and try to get inside as quickly and quietly as possible," Carlisle said. He reached for the machete, and regretfully made his way toward the walker.

Esme held her breath, noting that they'd had to perform the task that her husband was about to a number of times. Still, even though there was just one walker, she couldn't help but feel anxious every time they were forced to put down the former human.

_One bite_, she thought. _That's all it takes._

A moment later she watched as Carlisle connected hard with the walker's head one time. A moment later, the rotting corpse was in a heap on the ground and Carlisle painfully handed the oversized knife back to Edward.

Rosalie could see how hard of a time Carlisle had in killing, even if it was for the greater good. His kind eyes and conflicted look made her feel all the more comfortable in the family's company. While she had grown to trust them almost right away, there was still fear of the unknown. She didn't know the three of them all that well, considering she hadn't even been with them for twenty-four hours. However, she knew good people were hard to come by and that Carlisle, Esme and Edward were far different from the selfish people she'd met along the way, her former boyfriend included.

"There are going to be a lot of rooms and closets in this house," Edward said.

Esme reached into the back seat of the car and removed the biggest bag filled with their belongings. She shuffled through it and found a flashlight. "Here," she handed it to Carlisle and found a second one for Edward.

"Let's tackle the open garage first," Edward suggested.

Carlisle agreed with a nod and they made their way in, noting almost right away that there were no walkers there.

"Generator," Carlisle said, overly pleased, "We may get the chance to have a little power."

"Power..." Rosalie seemed to be drooling over the thought, "Does that include the possibility of a hot shower?"

"If we're lucky," Carlisle said, "I hope the thing works."

"Want to lift it up onto the porch?" Edward asked, "That way if the house is clear we don't have to come back out here?"

"Sure."

Without a great deal of struggle the two of them managed to get the large generator so it was in front of the front door. Edward then reached for the door handle, but Esme reached for his hand.

"Wait," she said quietly.

"What?"

She took a deep breath, "Shouldn't we knock?"

"Why?" Edward asked.

"She's right," Carlisle said, "If someone is living here we have no right to just barge into their home."

Edward lifted his hand and landed three solid knocks on the door. When there was no indication that someone was inside he knocked again.

The four of them waited in silence before he reached for the handle a second time, finding the door easily slid open.

"Hello..." Edward's voice trickled inside. "If anyone's in here, we're not here to cause any trouble. We're just looking for shelter. We can leave right now if you ask us to."

The anticipation of a response made everyone anxious, though when there was none, they all entered the house together.

There was still barely enough light left in the day to make it possible to look around.

Directly in front of the door was a staircase that lead up to the second floor. To the right was a family room and to the left of the stairs was a large, country-style kitchen. There were things scattered everywhere; pots, pans, clothes. There were many empty hooks on the walls, and Esme assumed it was where family photos might have hung that the family had taken with them in attempt to save the memories.

"It doesn't look like anyone's on this floor," Edward said. He entered the kitchen and opened a large pantry door and a small closet before pulling the curtains over a door that lead outside onto a wrap around deck from the kitchen.

Carlisle lead the way into the back where a laundry room and a bathroom were side by side. Again, the accompanying closets were empty and aside from the scattered mess, nothing looked out of the ordinary.

When the first level was deemed to be clear, they made their way to the second level where there were two bedrooms, a bathroom and an office.

"Children lived here," Esme said, noting a set of bunk-beds in one of the rooms. She shook her head and picked up a toy from the ground that had been left behind.

The drawers were all pulled out sporadically and it appeared that the family that had left the home behind had grabbed whatever they could before bailing. The same was true of the large room, though the bed was made and things, for the most part, looked nearly untouched. It looked as if the family would be home later for dinner, though that obviously wasn't the case.

Esme noted that the walls, like on the first level, were stripped of any photographs that may have hung on the walls.

"Rooms seem to be all clear," Carlisle said.

"I get the top bunk," Edward joked, looking at Rosalie.

She let a small smile creep onto her face before letting out a short laugh.

Carlisle grinned, glad to see a little life being brought into Rosalie. "We should secure the doors and windows to the best of our ability,"

"And get the generator in here," Edward said.

He nodded, and the two of them hurried down the stairs and outside, bringing it in with them a moment later.

Esme wandered around the first floor with Rosalie, going through cabinets and searching for food. She found a few canned goods, some stale cereal and a few other things that would suffice in feeding them for a little while. On top of it she found a collection of candles that had been scattered decoratively around the house and lit them to give a little light.

Rosalie accompanied Esme, pulling the drapes and drawing the shades over every window. "There's a fireplace," she pointed out, "That could come in handy."

"Definitely," Esme agreed.

Rosalie took in a deep breath, taking in the scent of a pumpkin candle that Esme had lit in the living room. "Oh, I love that smell."

"Me too."

Both of them sat down on the couch and Rosalie stretched herself out. "I'm exhausted," she admitted.

Carlisle and Edward began to fiddle with the generator.

"Rest your eyes," Esme said to Rosalie, "You deserve to after all you've been through."

"I'm okay." She put a hand over her face.

Esme found a brown, fleece blanket and threw it over the top of her.

Rosalie's eyes closed almost immediately and within a few minutes she was fast asleep.

Carlisle looked up from what he was doing. "You can get some rest, too."

"I'm alright," Esme assured him, folding her arms across her body.

"Run this to the television," Edward said. "There are a handful of plugs." He pulled a cord and the generator began to hum.

Carlisle attached the cord to the television, using it as the first experiment with the machine. He then toyed with the remote and a moment later, the television popped on, though it was nothing but static.

Edward grinned and ran over to a glass cabinet where DVDs were visible. He shuffled through them and found a comedy before placing it into the DVD player.

Carlisle adjusted the remote, and after a few minutes of working the kinks out, the DVD screen was up and running, now playing the previews of the movie that Edward had found.

Esme laughed lightly, and smiled.

"We can probably get this feeding into multiple areas of the house," Carlisle said. "We just have to figure out for sure how much gasoline is in it."

"This is awesome," Edward exclaimed.

Carlisle grinned and nodded, and then looked at Esme. "Good day?"

She smiled back at him, "It's been a very good day."


	9. Sleep

Carlisle and Edward made a few cautious trips to the garage, getting wooden planks to board up the doors and windows in excess, as well as wood for the fireplace.

Edward slowly rolled his car into the garage so no one would see the car and attempt to steal it or start trouble. The two of them secured the large bay doors and then made the house as safe as possible. The kitchen was also equipped with several more sharp knives, some of which they attached to the end of long sticks. There were also several aluminum little league bats in the garage that Carlisle and Edward had taken inside. All in all, by midnight they felt safer than they had in awhile.

Esme kept a close eye on Rosalie, though had found her way into the laundry room where a fresh batch of clothes and sheets still laid in the dryer. She took it upon herself to remake all three of the beds and changed out of the clothes she was wearing. Likewise, she set aside new clothes for everyone else, hoping the sizes would match up at least to a point of comfort.

Rosalie hadn't awoke from the deep slumber she was in, and Edward made a teasing remark about her light snoring as he finally sat down on the love seat to the side of where she slept.

He sighed contently and put his feet up, closing his eyes almost immediately before focusing his attention back on the movie that played.

"Hey, we may never get to watch a movie again," he commented, shrugging at Carlisle.

"We have to kind of live in the moment," Carlisle agreed, "Enjoy every peaceful minute we get." He sighed and looked around, about to call out for Esme when she made her way back into the room.

"There are fresh clothes in the laundry room I left out for everybody," she informed them. "And obviously you know that there is running water. I boiled some in the tea kettle and washed up a bit if you'd like to do the same."

Edward nodded. "Thanks Esme."

"You're welcome."

Carlisle crossed the room and pulled her to him, kissing her forehead. "Thank you."

"Thank you guys," she said, returning the embrace, though looking across the way at Edward, "For securing the house and getting the generator running."

"Maybe we'll be able to stay here awhile," Edward said.

"It would be nice," Esme agreed with a nod.

Carlisle gently rubbed her back and kissed her on the cheek. "I may go take advantage of the hot water."

"Would you like me to boil you some?" she asked.

"You can sit and relax."

"I don't mind at all," Esme told him. She glanced at Edward, "You too. I'll do two pots on the stove."

Before either of them could answer or protest, she had made her way into the kitchen and began doing as she stated.

Edward joined Carlisle down the hall, finding comfort in a pair of new sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt. He took a winter hat with a tag still on it that hung from a hook in the corner of the laundry room.

Carlisle, too, found similar comfortable clothes and eyed a pair of winter boots that still stood neatly in the corner of the room.

A few minutes later, Esme informed them that the hot water they were seeking was ready, and they each took a turn cleaning up in the downstairs bathroom before settling into the new pairs of clothing.

"Should we wake Rosalie?" Edward asked.

Esme shook her head, "The clothes will be here for her when she wakes up. Let her rest. It may have been days since she's felt safe enough to sleep through the night. She's been through a lot."

Edward nodded in agreement and shuffled back down the hall. He checked inside several of the downstairs closets before finding a thick, plaid wool blanket to wrap himself in. He then settled in on the smaller of the two couches and laid down with the blanket pulled up to his chin.

"I'm not going to get very far into this movie," Edward said with a yawn. "This is the first time we don't have to sleep on the ground freezing in a tent and watching our backs for walkers every five seconds." He stretched his arms and legs and then cuddled back up under the blanket. "This couch is a luxury."

Esme smiled and he settled in and then looked at Carlisle.

"We set up a rope across the entryway to the porch with the lids to a couple metal garbage cans," he informed her. "That way we'll at least have some sort of warning if someone or something comes through there."

"Great." Esme nodded and sighed.

"I'm going to stay up a little to make sure we're okay," Carlisle said, "Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

Esme looked at Edward and Rosalie who were both sound asleep on each of the couches. A smile crossed her face.

"There's a queen sized bed upstairs," he reminded her. "Keep the door open. Call me if you need anything."

"The whole house is boarded up," Esme said. She had a slight fear of going to the next level alone, despite the fact that they knew the house was clear.

"I know," Carlisle told her, "I just want to be sure that we're really alone here and that nobody is going to come trying to barge in the middle of the night."

She sighed and nodded in agreement before kissing him once on the lips. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He rubbed her back for a moment before heading into the darkened kitchen to sit by one of the windows.

Esme contemplated settling on the floor of the living room, though the thought of having a mattress to lay on was far too appealing and so she put her fears to the side and took the stairs slowly.

A moment later she crossed into the room. Out of recent habit, Esme checked the closet, the small bathroom that accompanied the master bedroom and under the bed. She then made her way toward the bed, where she didn't hesitate to lay directly in the middle of it. The pillows and blankets felt as if they molded perfectly to her body and she wrapped her arms around herself.

The smell of the still-burning pumpkin-scented candle was soothing and peaceful. Esme closed her eyes, letting the tranquil nature of the situation drag her close to the slumber she had been craving.

A deep sigh left her mouth and she slunk down deeper until half of her face as covered by the fluffy down comforter that served as the top layer. As much as Esme didn't want to let her guard down, she knew she had to take advantage of a good night's sleep.

She allowed herself to drift away, but her body snapped up when she heard a light thumping sound and a creak in the floorboards. Her fists were balled and her senses were immediately on high alert.

Carlisle put his hands up and smiled. "I'm sorry."

Esme put a hand on her head, and smiled. She shook her head. "Change of heart?"

He nodded and turned around and closed the door quietly behind him.

"Leave it open in case the kids-" Esme started, but Carlisle stepped in and kissed her with enthusiastic passion.

Esme was taken off-guard, but kissed him back in the same fashion, almost unable to catch her breath. She breathed his name in a break in their embrace and pulled him into the bed with her.

Neither of them spoke, or attempted to justify anything about the situation, aside from a quick "I love you" from Carlisle.

Esme whole-heartedly embraced the passionate encounter with her husband that had been impossible since the world had gone downhill. She melted back into the comfort of the blankets, this time with Carlisle accompanying her. His gentle touches were the first thing in weeks that made her feel alive and okay. The three of them had forcefully made themselves numb to feeling anything for weeks, and now she was able to temporarily escape from that, focusing on Carlisle's lips against her neck and on the top of her shoulder.

He provided her with a type of warmth that no one else could, and like they had all promised each other, Esme decided to live in the moment. She closed her eyes and relished in every minute of their time together.

The reality of the situation was, neither of them knew how much time they had left.


	10. A Look Out the Window

Esme's eyes flickered open and it took her a few seconds to process where she was. She wondered for a moment if the day before had been a dream, though she quickly acknowledged that it was reality.

Warmth, that is what she felt. The rocky, uneven feel of the mountainous landscape and the evening chill were now a distant memory.

Carlisle's even breaths landed on her shoulders, and Esme felt his loose grip around her waist. She linked her hand with his and smiled, hoping that the new day would bring more positive outcomes.

Downstairs she could hear voices, and the passing sound of laughter after a smart comment from Rosalie allowed Esme's whole being to relax.

"Have you ever cooked anything besides macaroni and cheese?" Edward's voice came, teasing the newcomer to their group after her first playful verbal assault on his character.

"It's nice to hear them getting along," Carlisle said quietly in a scratchy morning voice. He cleared his throat and pulled her tighter against him.

Esme smiled to herself, not wanting to separate herself from him in the snuggling, comfortable position they lied in. All the same, she wanted to see his face and so she readjusted so she could do just that.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning." He grinned and shared a kiss with Esme.

She ran a hand down the center of his bare chest and he cuddled her against him, kissing her forehead as he did.

"I'm glad you decided to come to bed early last night," Esme said to him, initiating a light flutter of laughter from Carlisle.

"Me too," he agreed.

"Is it possible to feel safe?" she asked him, "To live like this again... somewhat normally?"

Carlisle sighed, letting his stomach heave up and down once against her. "I'd like to believe so. Life's challenges are just a lot... different."

"Mmm..." Esme closed her eyes. "I love you, Carlisle."

"I love you too."

The two of them laid there for a few minutes, enjoying the intimate company of one another before Esme looked up to him. "I could stay here all day, but we should probably work our way downstairs to make sure the kids are okay."

Carlisle didn't immediately open his eyes, though he nodded and slowly released her from the tight grasp he held her in.

Esme readjusted as he moved to lean over her just slightly. "I'm going to do everything I can to keep you and Edward... and Rosalie... safe."

She swallowed and nodded, placing a hand on the side of his face.

"And I'm sorry about yesterday," he added, "I know I can't keep thinking that I can save everybody. I don't to put your life, or anyone's, in jeopardy."

Esme toyed with his hair for a moment. "You're a good man. People are beating other people, stealing from other people, killing other people..." She shook her head, "The world needs people like you. Now more than ever."

"It was still bad judgment on my part."

She shook her head. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."

Carlisle could see Esme's upbeat mood slowly fading as she thought of the close encounter the day before.

"Hey," he said quietly, "I'm sorry. I don't want to make you feel sad, or down."

Esme sighed and then let out a deep exhale. "You're not," she told him, "I just can't stand the thought of losing you."

Carlisle brought his lips back to hers. "You won't."

Esme wrapped her arms around him and Carlisle laid on top of her for a moment.

"I'm sorry," he repeated in a whisper into her ear.

"Don't apologize." Esme took in another deep breath and then looked into Carlisle's eyes as he pulled back a few inches.

"Ready to go downstairs?" he asked her.

"Not fully," she said, making him smile, "But yes."

Carlisle gave her another short series of kisses before he crawled off of her and threw the clothes back on he'd worn from the night before.

Esme took an extra second before doing the same and the two of them ventured out of the room and down the stairs where both Edward and Rosalie sat casually on stools at the island in the kitchen. They both had a bowl full of oatmeal and appeared to be chatting.

"Hey," he greeted them with a smile.

"Good morning," Esme said back.

"Much different than sleeping on the ground in the cold, huh?" Edward asked. He laughed lightly, prompting a smile and a nod from Esme.

"I haven't sleep like that in weeks," she told him. "Rosalie, did you sleep okay?"

She nodded and reached for a cup of tea. "I don't even remember falling asleep, but yes. I haven't slept like that in awhile either."

Carlisle walked over toward the window and looked out onto the porch. The lids for the garbage cans were still in tact and all seemed fairly normal outside. The only thing that made him squirm a bit were the small collection of walkers that staggered down the street. None of them appeared to have eyes for the house they had barricaded themselves in, though the fact that they were close still made him uneasy.

"What's out there?" Esme asked, noting his long stare.

Carlisle stepped away from the window. "Looks like it may rain," he said nonchalantly. "There are a few walkers making their way down the street but they don't appear to have much interest in coming this way."

"Is the barricade still in tact?" Edward asked, "I didn't even check."

Carlisle nodded.

"How long did you stay up last night?"

"Not long after you fell asleep." He crossed the room toward the countertop where he found a small box of tea. "Did you hear anything out there in the middle of the night?"

Edward shook his head and scooped a mouthful of oatmeal. "Nope."

Esme put some water on the stove and looked around the immediate area.

"Do you want some oatmeal?" Edward asked her, holding up the whole box filled with packets.

"Yes," she answered, "That smells so good."

"Brown sugar and cinnamon," Rosalie said with a grin.

Edward tossed a packet over to Esme, who quickly found a bowl.

"Carlisle?" Edward asked, reaching in the box.

He turned, and then nodded before Edward did the same and threw a packet of the oatmeal his way.

"How long do you think we'll be able to stay here?" Rosalie asked, looking back and forth between Carlisle and Esme.

"I'm not sure," Carlisle responded, "But as long as we can, I suppose."

"Maybe this can become a more permanent home," Edward said with a shrug. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

"We'll stay as long as we can," Carlisle repeated with a nod. He looked at Esme, who flashed him a half-smile.

"We should set up targets and practice with the crossbow," Edward told Carlisle.

"That wouldn't be a bad idea," he agreed. Carlisle's eyes traveled toward the window again, "I just don't want to draw attention to us. No one seems to know we're here."

Edward nodded.

"I agree," Esme said, "It'd be nice to stay under the radar for a bit."

"What if we made up a little target and shot it in here, out back by the laundry room or something?"

"We can try it out some time today," Carlisle told him.

"Great," Edward said with a grin. "I kind of can't wait to use that thing."

Esme and Carlisle both grinned, and then Esme removed the tea kettle as it whistled.

Rosalie scraped the bowl with her spoon, getting every last bite of the bowl of oatmeal she had.

Esme reached for Carlisle's coffee cup and began filling it with hot water.

"Do you-" Edward began, but froze for a moment when he heard the rattling of the metal garbage can lids.

Rosalie's posture straightened up, and Esme looked to Carlisle.

He placed the mug down and hurried over to the window, reaching for the machete that Edward had already propped in the corner of the room.

"Carlisle..." Esme's voice trailed off when she saw the alarm on his face. Everyone else proceeded to hover nearby, though no one else looked out the window. "What is it?"


	11. The Stranger

"Carlisle, what is it?" Esme asked, letting the fright ring in her voice.

He turned to them and rushed toward the door. "There's a man out there."

"A man?" she asked.

"Don't open the door," Edward exclaimed.

"He's bleeding... a lot," Carlisle told him.

"What if he was bitten?" Rosalie asked.

A loud, painful shriek came from the porch.

"He's going to lead the walkers here," Esme said, "We have to help him."

Carlisle didn't think twice. He flung open the front door to find the stunned, bloody man struggling to crawl up and over the barrier of lids they had created.

"Edward!" Carlisle called, demanding him to help with the wave of his hand.

"I-I was attacked," the main said, gasping for air. He reached a hand out. "P-please."

Carlisle and Edward struggled to get him to his feet, but finally managed to drag him inside the house before they barracaded the door back up.

Esme and Rosalie found spots the closest window to look back out into the yard. One walkers was slowly making its way up the driveway, though no others had paid attention to the commotion at the house.

"There's one in the yard," Esme said.

"Get him onto the kitchen table," Carlisle said, lifting the man up from under his arms.

Edward took his feet and the two of them laid the bleeding man where Carlisle had instructed.

"I'm going out to kill that one," Edward said to no one in particular.

"Edward..." Esme's voice trailed and Edward stopped for a second to see what she was about to say. When he recognized that she was just showing concern, he reached for the machete and hurried out the front door.

"What happened to you?" Carlisle asked, leaning over the injured man. "Were you bit?"

The man fought to catch his breath. "No."

Rosalie hovered above the table on the opposite side and Esme peered out the window to watch Edward.

Carlisle lifted the man's shirt, seeing it was heavily soaked in blood. "Get me towels, something..." he said, not directing the demand in any one person's direction.

Esme hurried to the kitchen drawers, finding small, decorative hand towels with a coffee cup pattern. She ran over toward the table and handed them to Carlisle. He immediately put pressure on the wounds.

"You're sure he's not bit?" Rosalie asked.

"This isn't a bite from a walker," Carlisle stated calmly, amidst the trauma. "Esme, see if you can find me a sewing kit."

Esme nodded and hurried, looking in the usual places where she might find one in someone's house.

"What did this then?" Rosalie asked.

"A... a bear..." The man gasped for air again in between the two short words.

"A bear?" she exclaimed.

Carlisle lifted the towel to study the wound for a moment but quickly applied more pressure. "There are three long lacerations," he explained, "Gashes, really. And a smaller one all the way to the left."

"Can you fix me?" the man asked frantically.

Carlisle looked into his young, frightened eyes that shut from the intense nature of the pain. "I'm going to try."

He winced again, grinding his teeth together. "What are you a doctor?"

"Let's just say you hit the right house," Carlisle told him, "Yes, I worked in Forks Hospital before all this happened." He wanted to keep the man talking. "What's your name?"

"Emmett," he breathed. He looked at Rosalie.

"These wounds are deep," he explained, "But if we treat them right away you'll most likely be okay."

" You just telling me that, doc?"

Esme came into the room with Carlisle's request for the needle and thread. She also held a clear bottle of rubbing alcohol.

"Thank you, Esme," he said.

Edward stormed back in, causing a startling reaction from Esme and Rosalie. Carlisle never looked away from helping Emmett.

"What are you going to do?" Sweat poured from the young man's face and his dimples were out in full force every time he winced.

"I've got to stitch you up," Carlisle explained, "It'll hurt a little."

"I'll get him a spoon to bite down on,"Rosalie offered. She hurried away, finding a wooden spoon on the countertop.

"I'm going to clean it first and then stitch you up."

"Was he bit?" Edward asked.

"No," Carlisle told him.

Emmett let out a low cry of pain as Carlisle began to use the rubbing alcohol.

"How do you know for sure?" Edward asked.

"Dip the needle in the alcohol," he ordered.

"Do you know for sure?" He asked again.

"Yes, now soak the needle."

Edward did as he asked and sat back,watching as Carlisle began to stitch up the stranger.

Emmett tried his best to hold in his cries of pain, though with little success.

Esme looked away and winced every time his painful screams rang through the house.

A loud clanking sound from the porch made Esme, Edward and Rosalie jump.

Edward rushed to the window. "Shit."

Carlisle looked once over his shoulder.

"Three of them," Edward went on.

Rosalie jumped when she heard a light slam against the door.

"We need to get them off the porch before they draw attention to others," Carlisle said, pulling the thread upward.

"How?" Esme asked.

Less than a second later Edward was throwing the door open and the familiar growling sound of the walkers filled the air.

"What's that?" Emmett asked, lifting his head just an inch off the table.

"Edward's taking care of it," Carlisle said reassuringly. He calmly continued what he was doing.

"Look at me," Rosalie instructed Emmett. The phrase came out of her mouth without her even thinking about it.

Emmett stopped trying to look toward the door. He glanced briefly at Rosalie before closing his eyes again in the midst of the chaos.

Esme grabbed a kitchen knife and ran to the door to help Edward. For the first time Carlisle let his attention wholly drift away from Emmett on the table. He watched as his wife rounded the corner to where he could no longer see. The situation suddenly felt overwhelming and he furiously worked on Emmett's abdominal area.

There was a struggle at the door. The growling an gurgling grew louder. Esme and Edward's voices were loud and frantic.

Carlisle felt as if the hard thumping in his chest was drowning out reality. The pressure began to build in his chest. He saw Emmett's painful facial expression but he couldn't hear him. Rosalie's lips moved but he couldn't comprehend her words. Worst of all he had no eyes or ears on Esme or Edward.

The world around him felt like it was spinning. All he knew at that moment was that they were struggling with three walkers at the door. Carlisle had to know that they were okay.


	12. Emmett

Edward emerged around the corner, covered in blood. Carlisle watched his lips move as he pointed toward the door, but it wasn't until he saw Esme's face that all of his senses came back to him.

"We got them all," Edward's voice called in.

Rosalie's face drained of all fear. She refocused on the man on the table. "Carlisle..."

Esme breathed heavily and leaned against the wall. She hadn't quite gotten accustomed to killing the walkers, and it took its toll on her after the fact.

Carlisle met her momentary stare, but she placed one hand on the side of her face and wandered toward the sink to get some water. He returned his attention toward Emmett.

"Bare with me the next few minutes," he told him, "It's going to be painful, but you're going to be fine."

Emmett nodded and closed his eyes in preparation for the doctor's work in stitching up his wounds. Sweat continued to drain from his face, drenching his hairline despite the cold nature of the day. He tried to remain still, though at times found it impossible.

Rosalie kept a soothing hand by his shoulder at all times, and encouraged him to breath. Her painful expressions couldn't be hidden and it appeared as if she was feeling everything that Emmett was.

Carlisle made sure his work was clean, and that the wound was cleaner. He wrapped up the job by putting gauze and a wrap around Emmett's midsection, before finding some leftover painkillers in a bag full of low level pharmaceuticals that they had stored prior to the collapse of society.

"Take these," he ordered, handing Emmett two white pills. He glanced toward Esme and made a drinking motion with his hand. She nodded and hurried to get him a glass of water.

Rosalie helped to perch his head up off the table far enough where he could get the pills down.

Emmett's hand shook as he took the medication, spilling it all over himself in the process. He gasped for air as the cold water made its way down his throat before he collapsed back onto the table, wincing as he did so.

"Will he be okay?" Esme whispered, placing a hand on Carlisle's arm.

He nodded, "I believe so."

"How close to a 'yes' is that?" Emmett choked out from the table.

Carlisle turned his attention back to him, "You're going to be fine," he assured the man, "It's going to take awhile before you're feeling up to anything. You'll need your rest."

"Should we get him upstairs?" Rosalie asked.

He nodded, and then glanced at Edward. "Will you help me?"

Edward nodded and walked over toward Emmett's feet.

Carlisle looked at Esme and Rosalie, "You'll have to stabilize his midsection. Edward and I will get his head and feet."

Esme nodded, and made eye contact with Rosalie.

"We're going to carry you upstairs to one of the bedrooms," Carlisle explained to Emmett.

The four of them coordinated and managed to lift him up off the table, though the task was not easy. He was tall, broad-shouldered and muscular; well over two-hundred pounds. Carrying him up the stairs was a challenge, though the four of them were able to get the job done. They laid Emmett in the middle of the queen-sized bed in the first bed room at the top of the stairs.

Esme tucked him in in a motherly fashion and made sure he was comfortable while Carlisle asked him a series of questions regarding his current health status.

Emmett coherently answered everything, and by the end of the conversation he began shivering, prompting Esme to find more blankets to wrap him in.

"Thank you," he choked out, keeping his eyes closed.

"You're welcome," Carlisle said with a nod.

Esme ran a hand through the young man's hair, feeling compelled to do so. He had to be in his early twenties, though his face was so cherubic and youthful that he reminded her of Edward.

Rosalie, too, seemed as if she didn't want to leave the man, though eventually everyone made their way out of the room to allow him some time to rest.

"No bites?" Edward whispered once they were back downstairs.

Carlisle shook his head, "No."

"He was attacked by a bear he said," Rosalie told him.

Edward turned to Carlisle. "How likely is that?"

"The wounds looked promising with his story," Carlisle admitted, "He would have no reason to lie. There were long marks down his core."

"I believe him," Rosalie said, "Why wouldn't we?"

"What if he was stealing from someone and they... I don't know." Edward shrugged.

She shook her head, "So where are these people that he stole from? There was no one out there but him."

"So we think."

"Edward..." Esme shook her head, "The marks looked exactly as he said. There were three or four long claw marks."

"All I'm saying is that if he was bitten, and he turns then we're going to have a live walker in the house."

Carlisle shook his head, "There were no bites." He looked at Edward, "I swear on your life and Esme's."

Edward waited a moment before nodding. "Okay."

"We'll get the man's story once he's recovered a bit more."

"What's his name again?"

"Emmett," Rosalie chimed in.

Edward looked at Carlisle, knowing he was always on the side of logic and reason. "We'll have to find out his story."

Carlisle nodded, "We will."

There was a silence that fell over them and Carlisle studied the blood that covered all four of them. "Why don't we get ourselves cleaned up?" His eyes drifted toward an un even pattern of blood on the wall and the floor near the front door.

Everyone agreed. "I'm going to use the downstairs bathroom," Edward said, "If that's okay with everybody."

They all nodded and Esme looked at Rosalie, "Why don't you use the upstairs bathroom?"

"Are you sure?" Rosalie asked.

She nodded, "Go. Get washed up."

Rosalie gave a closed-mouth smile and made her way up the stairs.

Carlisle looked to Esme. "Are you okay?" he asked, "With killing the walkers?" He glanced at the ground and looked out the small window in the front door. Edward had taken the time to move the bodies, though there were still remnants of the ones they had taken care of.

"I'm fine," she told him with a nod. "It's what we have to do now. I might as well get used to it."

He looked at her and sighed.

"I'm fine," she repeated, "Honestly."

Carlisle kissed her forehead.

"You saved that man," Esme said, "Emmett."

He shrugged, "The wounds weren't terribly deep. They're bad, don't get me wrong, but not life-threatening now that they've been dressed."

She kissed him again. "We'll have to check on him every little while."

"Of course."

Esme sighed. She looked around. "I hope we didn't draw attention to ourselves."

"Yeah..." He looked around, "It'd be a shame to have to leave here so soon. Emmett needs stability."

"Yeah..." She shook her head, "If nothing else, he seems like a strong man. He could help us."

Carlisle nodded, "Let's hope for a quick recovery. I'm eager for him to wake up because I have a lot of questions for him."

The two of them glanced up the stairs, curious as to what Emmett would bring to their family dynamic.


	13. A Risk You Have To Take

Carlisle sat at the kitchen table playing with the crossbow he'd found in the little local shop. He had counted the arrows multiple times to make sure he had the correct number. He agreed with a statement Edward had made, naming the weapon more valuable than a gun. While the arrows would have to be retrieved, they would never run out of ammunition.

"Are we going to practice?" Edward asked, entering the room with his hands in his pockets.

"We should," Carlisle said with a nod, "It'll be the only way to get good at using it." He studied it for a moment more before holding it out Edward to take.

"This was a great find." He toyed with the weapon in his hands and put it up to his eye as if he was going to aim at something.

"Maybe we should really test it out in the woods behind the house," Carlisle suggested, lowering his voice and looking over his shoulder. "Inside is great, but..." he shrugged without finishing the sentence.

Edward let a slow grin spread across his face. "You're going to lie to Esme?"

He shook his head, "No... I just don't think she'll be a fan of the idea."

"I think we really need to fire this off," Edward agreed with a nod, "Maybe set up some targets out there."

Carlisle nodded back. "This doesn't make a whole lot of noise the way a gun does. We could probably go unnoticed out there by walkers and people."

"It'd be great to kill an animal or something... even a squirrel."

"There will be a time when we'll have to hunt," Carlisle told him, "We might as well start now and try to become more proficient at the skill."

"How will we tell Esme?" Edward asked.

He let out a deep breath and thought for a moment. "I guess we'll just be honest. I mean logically it's going to have to happen in time that we leave the house to get food."

"Right."

"I'd rather not leave Esme and Rosalie here unprotected," he said, "And I don't want you to go out into the woods alone, so maybe you and Rosalie could go together and then Esme and I could. We should all learn how to use the thing."

"Yeah," Edward agreed, "That makes sense."

Carlisle slunk back into his chair and Edward placed the crossbow back onto the table. He placed a hand on either side of it, waiting for Carlisle's next move.

"You want to go now, don't you?" his father-figure asked with a light laugh.

Edward snickered, "Is it that obvious?"

Before Carlisle could call in for Esme or Rosalie, both of them walked through the door into the kitchen where the two of them were talking.

"Esme," Carlisle began, but she shook her head and smiled, leaving him a little confused.

"You two think we didn't hear your whole conversation?" she asked, still smiling. Rosalie, too, managed a quick laugh.

Edward looked at her, "So you agree?"

"I know it's a risk," Esme said, "But you're both right. We'll have to leave here eventually when we run out of food, and if we don't know how to properly use that then we'll be stuck." She looked at Carlisle, "However you want to do it is fine with me."

"Me too," Rosalie chimed in, glancing at Edward. "You and me get to test it out first?"

Edward looked to Carlisle for some type of approval. When he nodded, Rosalie had her answer.

"Great," she said, looking a combination of determined and anxious.

"You should go out through the back so no one sees you leave through the front door. I don't know who's around, but the less chance of someone seeing us here the better," Carlisle told them.

"Okay," Edward said, hoisting the bow up into his right arm.

"If you start to see walkers, come right back to the house," Esme said, "And take another weapon with you."

Rosalie crossed the room and picked up one of the long sticks with the knife attached to the end. Edward had created a makeshift belt where his machete hung.

"What about other people?" Rosalie asked, "What if we run into someone?"

"Feel them out," Carlisle said. "I wouldn't be too quick to give them our location."

She nodded, as did Edward.

"Don't go too far," Esme said, "Shout if you need anything. I'll sit by the back window until you get back."

"You don't have to do that," Edward told her, but Esme was shaking her head before he could finish the sentence.

"I'll sit by the back window until you come back."

"Okay," he agreed.

Rosalie sighed and then followed Edward toward the back of the house.

"Do you want a jacket?" Esme asked, "It's raining a little, and it's cold." She hurried toward a closet by the front door and found a thick winter coat with a hood.

"Thank you," Rosalie said, accepting the jacket and tossing it on over her sweatshirt. She pulled her blond hair up into a ponytail and pulled the hood on tight.

Edward put on the pair of boots that Carlisle had spotted the day before in the back by the laundry room. He pulled those on and then added a second hooded sweatshirt to the one he was already wearing, completing the outfit with the winter hat he had found.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Rosalie nodded, "Yes."

"We'll take a bunch of shot each, maybe four or five rounds and then we'll come back," Edward said, "Does that sound okay to you?"

"Sure."

They looked at each other for a moment and Rosalie let out another sigh before Edward unlocked and opened the back door that lead out into the world.

The four of them stared out the door, feeling suddenly small and vulnerable. There was an unmistakable chill in the air, the sky was a dark gray and the bare trees seemed to be daring Edward and Rosalie to enter their realm of unknowns.

"Are you sure you want to go out there today?" Esme asked, suddenly feeling less optimistic about the situation.

"Will there be a better time?" Edward asked.

Rosalie shuddered, letting the cold air travel down her spine, paralyzing her where she stood.

Edward looked at her, still looking bold with the crossbow in one arm and the machete securely at his side. "Ready Rosalie?"

She wanted to remain tough, though her confidence had plummeted since they'd opened the door. Still, she knew she had to cross her own boundaries in order to grow stronger in this world. "Yes. I'm ready." Her fingers clutched the firm piece of wood that was built to plunge through the heads of walkers.

Edward took the first step, appearing as if he had no intention of looking back.

Rosalie followed, arranging herself so they were side by side.

Esme had the urge to pull them back, though she stood her ground and watched them go.

Carlisle could see the strain in her jawline and the tense nature of her posture. He slid an arm around her shoulders, but Esme didn't blink or flinch. Her eyes remained on Edward and Rosalie until their figures blended in with the trees, as they became one with the forest.

She sighed heavily and swallowed hard as her eyes closed. "Every time someone leaves my sight, I fear it's the last time I'll see them."

"They'll be fine," Carlisle assured her.

Esme looked at him, "I hope so."

"Come on," he said, "Let's get back inside."

Esme nodded and headed in first. Carlisle remained just behind her, taking another sweeping look around the back yard and the woods that surrounded it before closing the door behind them.


	14. Territory

Edward held the crossbow in front of him, peeking once over his shoulder behind them. All he saw were trees. The view of the house was essentially gone and the thought suddenly made him anxious. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Rosalie.

"I think we're far enough," he said, "We're covered by the woods but not far from the house."

"Right..." Rosalie's eyes scanned the trees around them. She and Edward stood in silence for a moment hearing nothing but the wind howling, blowing stray leaves around in the empty woods. Not a creature stirred. The world around them was still. "This is creepy."

"Yeah..." he managed a laugh and looked around, "We should make some targets out here."

"With what?"

"We could just pick specific trees to aim for."

"Okay." Rosalie was a woman of few words since leaving the house. She had decided to take the sidekick role and let Edward lead. He appeared confident and ready, while she felt the timidity rising in her core.

Edward stared around the immediate area and picked out a large tree with a wide trunk. "There," he said, "Let's start there."

Rosalie followed where he pointed, "The big one?"

"Yeah." He nodded. Edward wanted to be the first one to go, but he offered up the weapon, "Do you want to try first?"

She shook her head, "No. You go."

He nodded, not thinking twice on the matter and slung an arrow into place, pulling it tightly back until it locked into place. He eyed the center of the oversized trunk and focused, taking one deep breath in and letting it out before firing. A moment later, the arrow ricocheted off some of the lower hanging branches and landed some twenty yards beyond the tree.

Edward glanced at Rosalie, and the two of them shared a laugh.

"Overshot it?" she asked, still smiling.

"Just a little." He chuckled and darted off to retrieve the arrow with Rosalie at his heels. The two of them returned to their spot and he took five or six more shots, aiming just a little too high with each one. By the end of the series, the arrows were taking a straighter path, though they still seemed to kick upward.

"Your turn," Edward said, eventually handing it over to Rosalie.

She hesitantly took the crossbow and aligned herself in a similar fashion to the way Edward did.

"Try to inhale and exhale before pulling the trigger," he suggested.

Rosalie nodded, doing as he suggested before letting it fly. The arrow flew straight, though only barely connected with the side of the oak, sending shards of bark in all directions.

Edward laughed out loud, "Nice one."

Rosalie laughed, too, but looked around noting their louder laughter. The world remained still, but she recognized that they'd both let their guard down on a low level.

"Take a few more," Edward told her, " I saw where that one landed."

Rosalie struggled to get the arrows in place, though once she had them her shots were at least fairly accurate. She struck the tree's trunk multiple times, landing one solidly in the middle.

"I think we have a natural," Edward told her with a laugh.

She smiled, feeling accomplished, "I'd like to put one right in Royce's back." The comment more or less slipped out, triggering from a fleeting angry thought. Royce had always deemed her as weak and fragile. Rosalie suddenly felt empowered by use of the bow.

"What did he do to you?" Edward asked. His eyes squinted, sensing her pain.

She shook her head, "Wasn't the first time he laid a hand on me."

"Why were you with him?"

Rosalie looked up at him and shook her head, "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

She sighed, slightly annoyed at his prying, though eager to get some of the bad feelings off of her chest. "He was... rich," she said solemnly, "And handsome. I thought I could overlook some of his... darker tendencies."

Edward continued to stare at her. He wanted to ask her why she would stay with him for the money when he was hurting her, but he decided that was not what Rosalie needed. He spoke more from the heart. "Well, you don't deserve to be treated that way. And you won't while you're with us. I'm sorry you were involved with such... an asshole."

"Me too," Rosalie said with a nod. She looked up ahead, "We should collect the arrows."

Edward nodded, "One went pretty far," he snickered.

She smiled and marched behind him, pulling the one out of the bark that had hit it squarely.

"Looks like you'll be our number one hunter," he went on with a smile, scooping up arrows from beneath the scattered leaves as they walked.

Rosalie grinned, liking the idea of helping to catch them food, or even pelting a few walkers square in the forehead. "Why'd you guys start calling them walkers?" she asked.

Edward shrugged, "I don't know where the name really came from," he admitted. "That's just what we call them."

The two of them walked side by side in silence for a minute before coming across the last arrow that was stuck awkwardly in the ground.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Edward asked, smirking as he motioned toward it with his hand.

"Sure." Rosalie squatted and pulled the arrow from the dirt with Edward hovering above her. A moment later, another arrow struck a tree square on just to the left of Edward's head.

He jumped up, startled and pulled Rosalie to her feet. Both of their breathing picked up and he was about to tell her to run when he saw three men emerge from around a bend in the trees.

Edward put his hands up. "Stop," he ordered in the form of a plea.

The men stared at him, decorated with Native American attire. The man in front held a traditional bow and arrow while the two behind him sported guns.

Rosalie's face grew white and she felt her stomach tighten. She, too, put her hands in the air, holding the crossbow in her right.

"Put down your weapons," he eldest of the three men demanded. He stood in front, putting another arrow into the bow at full attention.

"O-okay," Rosalie agreed, "We - we were just practicing."

Edward eyed the youngest of the three men, who stood sternly in a leather jacket and jeans. His dark hair was a mess and he didn't look like he was older than sixteen.

"What are you doing on our land?" the elder asked. His jaw was stern and his eyes serious.

"On your land?" Edward asked.

"You're not from here," the younger man added. "Who are you?"

Rosalie eyed the third in the small pack, who remained silent, though looked ready to act if called upon.

"I'm... I'm Edward Cullen," he spoke, "This is my friend Rosalie."

"This is Quileute territory," the third man finally spoke.

"The world has gone to shit," Edward told them, "We finally found shelter."

"That bow's from our store," the young man spoke.

Rosalie nodded, "We found it in a store a few miles away," she admitted, "The store was ransacked. It's our only means of protection." Her eyes glued to the older man's in the front, "Please..."

There was a long silence before the leader of the pack held a hand up and lowered his weapon. The other two followed suit. "You don't take anything else from the reservation," he demanded.

Rosalie nodded quickly, "Okay. Okay, that's fine. We had nothing else."

"Where are you staying?"

Before she could reveal the location, Edward stepped in. "Who are you?"

Rosalie turned slowly to look at him, taking a deep breath.

"We're members of the tribe," the young man stated, "Unlike the two of you."

"Shouldn't we be working together?" Rosalie asked, "As humans?"

"The last person we trusted stole from us," the third man spoke.

"Who else are you with?" the old man asked. "Just the two of you?"

Edward and Rosalie looked back and forth between each other before Edward. "We're traveling with my aunt and her husband. He's a doctor."

The old man's eyes squinted as he took in Edward's claims with skepticism.

"Dr. Cullen," he said, "Of Forks Hospital."

The two younger men in the back looked at each other, before the older man relaxed both of his arms. "I know of Dr. Cullen. Carlisle Cullen?"

"Yes." Edward raised an eyebrow.

"My name is Ephraim Black," he spoke, "It's a small world."

Edward still looked utterly confused.

"Lucky for you your aunt's husband saved my grandson Jacob here one time quite a few years ago."

The young man in the back looked at Edward, still clenching his jaw.

"He's a good man."

"Yeah..." Edward swallowed hard. He vaguely remembered Jacob from where they were a few years younger. They'd had a minor altercation and from the look on Jacob's face, he could see that he, too, remembered the childish incident.

"Where are you staying?" Ephraim repeated.

Edward knew Carlisle didn't want to give away their location, but he went with his gut. "We found an abandoned house not far from here. We've been staying there a few days. Before then we were staying in the mountains but decided to leave because we knew we wouldn't last the winter in a tent."

"You stayed outside among the undead?" the unidentified third man asked.

Edward nodded, "For a time." He sighed.

There was another bout of silence before Ephraim spoke again. "Stay in the house," he ordered, "Don't make your way back to the store to take any more of our supplies."

"Okay."

"Oh," Jacob added, "Don't come into the woods after nightfall," he informed them, "The woods fill up with the undead."

Ephraim nodded, agreeing with his grandson's statement.

Rosalie looked around them, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

"And this is _our_ land," Jacob spoke sternly, "So go north if you'd like to hunt. The deer and moose are sparing since the geeks started infecting everybody."

"We can't hunt here?" Edward asked.

"No," Ephraim echoed, "Hunt elsewhere. Our people need the meat."

"But-"

"Take it or leave it," he said, cutting him off, "Keep the shelter you've found, and the crossbow." He looked him in the eye, "But don't hunt on our land."


	15. Agreement

Esme sighed heavily in relief upon seeing Edward and Rosalie emerge from the woods. She turned toward Carlisle, who had been in and out of one of the upper rooms to check on Emmett.

"They're back," she told him, "I can see them."

"Good." He paced the room and stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder and followed her stare. "It's getting dark. We can take our turn tomorrow trying out the weapon."

Esme nodded, not overly confident about taking on the woods. "That's fine with me."

Carlisle smiled to himself and kissed her on the cheek. His eyes drifted upward again toward the woods and in the distance he saw them. A collection of walkers were emerging from the farthest point he could see. He swallowed hard and his grip tightened on Esme's shoulder.

"What?" she asked, not seeing what he was seeing.

"There are walkers in the woods."

"What?" she asked, "Where?"

Carlisle towed her by the hand and they ran down the stairs, reaching the back door in a matter of seconds. He flung the door open, as Edward and Rosalie walked and talked without yet glancing up in the direction of the house.

"Edward!" he called, "Get inside!"

Edward glanced up and then they all looked in the same direction as a walker crossed into the backyard, stumbling toward them with a loud growl.

Rosalie sported the crossbow and raised it, allowing the walker to get in closer proximity before she pulled the trigger. The first arrow went wide of its head and she felt panic rise in her chest.

Edward quickly handed her another while attempting to remove the machete from his belt.

"Shit," he said quietly to himself, struggling to get it out of the way he'd tied it.

"Edward..." Rosalie said in an anxiety-laced voice.

"Yeah, I'm getting it," he said back, just as flustered. The growling monster outstretched its arms and inched closer. A second one emerged from around the side of the house.

Carlisle ran a few steps toward them, drawing attention to himself. "Hey!" he called, giving Rosalie the time she needed to load up a second arrow. He turned to Esme, "Go inside."

"No," she began, but listened as he demanded her a second time.

The walker stumbled in Carlisle's direction as Rosalie used all of her strength to draw the arrow back. When she finally had it set, she marched up closer to the unsuspecting walker and pulled the trigger again, this time connecting with the back of its head.

Carlisle watched as it collapsed the ground and laid motionless a few yards away from where he stood. He reached down and removed the arrow from the back of the walker's head, and then handed it to Rosalie, who scrunched her nose from the disgusting noise it made when leaving the attacker's dead scalp.

The second walker was heading toward them, though this time Edward ripped the machete from the tie in his pants and stormed after the walking dead person. He sent several hard hacks through its head before the thing collapsed not far from the other.

Rosalie took a deep breath and looked around.

"We have to get inside," Carlisle told them, "There are a group of walkers in the woods."

Edward and Rosalie both turned, seeing what he saw in the far distance.

Esme opened the door and stepped out onto the back steps. She waved them in. "Please come inside."

Carlisle urged them in, letting them go ahead of him before he rushed in behind everyone.

"There are a ton of them out there," he said, "We may be in danger if we stay."

"Jacob said they fill the woods at night," Rosalie said. She looked at Edward for a moment.

"Who's Jacob?" Esme asked. She looked back and forth between the two of them.

Edward looked at Carlisle. "We came across three people in the woods."

"Who were they?" he asked immediately. "Do they know-"

"Ephraim Black," he informed him, "A member of the Quileute tribe. He was with his grandson Jacob and another younger guy."

Carlisle squinted his eyes, trying to remember how he knew the name. "Sounds familiar."

"He says you saved his grandson."

He thought for another moment before a light bulb went off. "Oh, yes. Yeah, I remember them. Jacob had a really bad fall off of one of the cliffs out there by the beach. He broke a lot of bones on one half of his body."

"I vaguely remember that, too," Edward said with a nod. He looked at Esme. "The two of us didn't get along very well. At least not in the past."

"What did they say when you saw them?" Carlisle asked. "What did they want?" He turned and looked out the back window and then back around to face them.

"They just don't want us to hunt the animals on their land," Rosalie explained, "They told us to stay in the house and keep the crossbow."

Edward nodded, "They said the deer population has gone down since the walkers took over. Ephraim made it clear that we weren't overly welcome, but he did make a deal that we could stay if we hunted elsewhere."

"And stayed out of their stores," Rosalie added.

"Carlisle, you know this man?" Esme asked, concerned.

He nodded, "Somewhat."

"Do you think we're really safe to stay? I don't want to feel safe and in the middle of the night they come barging in to take the house over."

"Ephraim was a fair man," Carlisle explained, "At least from what I gathered. He was spiritual, and I don't see him crossing over to cause harm or evil upon anyone, even with the drastic turn of events."

"They warned us about the walkers in the forest," Rosalie reminded them, "Jacob told us that they'd be there, and there they are."

"I think we're okay," Edward added, "Ephraim seemed to let his guard down when I mentioned your name, Carlisle."

"So, the walkers out there... they won't bother us?" Esme asked. "The ones you all saw?"

"According to them, they come out every night."

"Gosh, I don't know if that's comforting or terrifying," she said back.

"Terrifying," Rosalie concluded.

"They know where we're staying?" Carlisle asked.

"I told them we were in a house on the reservation," Edward explained, "I didn't give out details."

"We'll be fine," Carlisle said, attempting to ease everyone's minds. He looked at Esme, "We'll stay indoors at night... and we'll do as they wish. We won't hunt on their land."

They all agreed, looking around at one another for a sort of non-verbal approval. When everyone felt comfortable, Carlisle double checked the door, put a chair in front of it and joined the others as they made their way to the living room.

Upstairs, Emmett made a coughing noise, and everyone stared in the direction of the second floor. Rosalie looked around at the group.

"I'm going to sit up there with him so he's not alone."


	16. James and Victoria

**Sorry all... busy week! Furnace at our house went and had to deal with that, plus ya know, work and just life in general :) Hope you're still enjoying this crossover. Again, I don't always like crossovers myself but I'm having fun with this one.**

_30 minutes away from Quileute Territory..._

The darkened world was a difficult one, though it was welcoming to some. For a pair of violent vagabonds with criminal minds, it was just right.

James and Victoria hadn't been physically prepared for the drastic turn of events, however mentally they had an edge. They had been master thieves their entire adult lives, and while they couldn't flaunt it without drawing too much attention, they were among the criminally wealthy that lived in the shadows of Washington State. It wasn't hard for them to convince a lone traveler named Laurant to accompany them on their travels. The two of them weren't stupid. They knew they needed the numbers in order to survive, and they couldn't bring strangers along with the risk of a background their own. They needed trustworthy people in order to run the show.

"How long do you intend to stay in here?" Victoria asked, cooking a hot dog on a stick she'd found in the woods over an open flame. The three of them sat around a small fire deep in the pit of a desolate cave in the woods.

James smirked, always looking a bit menacingly, particularly in the dim flickering light of the fire. The reds and oranges highlighted every sadistic crease in his face.

"I'm not sure," he replied, "For now it appears safe. None of the flesh eaters have discovered us."

"It's not the most comfortable place in the world," she complained. "And the privacy is even worse." Her eyes drifted to Laurant.

"If three's a crowd-" he began, though James cut him off.

"We're all just fine here for now," he told them, "There will be a day soon when we'll leave. I just don't think now's the time. We have to build up some strength. We have supplies and food that others will want. We're off the radar in here."

"How are we supposed to get more supplies?" Victoria asked. She laid her fingers across the barrel of a shotgun that leaned against the rock wall that surrounded them.

"It was easy enough to get _that_ gun," James said with a grin. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Laurant, knowing their acquaintance didn't approve of the story he loved to tell.

Victoria giggled. "I suppose patience is the key."

"Mmm..." He grinned back and sat himself next to her, leaning in for an overly affectionate kiss.

Laurant looked away, attempting not to be blatant in rolling his eyes.

"Are you sure three's not a crowd?" Victoria asked, glancing over toward Laurant out of the corner of her eye while James still attempted to lock lips with her.

"Three's a crowd," Laurant said dryly. He stood up from where he sat, but again James attempted to break the tension.

"Okay, okay," he said, putting his hands up, "I was just kidding around." He ran a hand through his long blond hair, making sure his ponytail was in place.

"You need a shave," Victoria told him in a teasing fashion, playing with one of the belt loops on his pants.

James smirked again and touched the side of his face with one hand. He scrunched his nose. "I kind of like it."

"It kind of makes you look... tough."

He chuckled and looked at Laurant again, attempting to keep him engaged. "Look, we need each other here. We can't be walking the woods alone. You heard the herd of those things walk by earlier."

"If one of them got wind of us being in here," Laurant said, shaking his head, "We would have easily been killed."

James continued smiling, "That's the beauty of it," he said, "They didn't know we were here. It's the perfect place." He sat back down and leaned back on his elbows, crossing his feet in front of him.

"We'll need more weapons for protection," Victoria told them, "God knows who's out and about on top of the flesh-eaters. That mental hospital is right around the corner. There were some crazy people locked up in there."

"Everyone's crazy now," Laurant said, gazing into the fire. His eyes were far away.

There was a short pause before Victoria smacked her lips together.

"Don't be so dramatic," she said, shaking her head as she took a bite of the hotdog.

Laurant's eyes lifted to the redhead who had originally been so deceiving in regards to her character. She was beautiful, and played the role of innocent rather well. He'd believed her when she said that she and James were in trouble and needed as much support as they could find. Being alone, Laurant knew now that he was an easy target. On top of it, he had a conscience, and at the time he thought they could help each other. Day in and day out, he was beginning to regret keeping their company more and more. Still, he feared traveling alone and knew that there were serious consequences that could potentially come his way.

_Why did I have to see James and Victoria before anyone else?_ he wondered to himself. _Anyone else..._

James picked up a box of graham crackers and tossed them in Laurant's direction. "You can make yourself an extra s'more tonight, how about it?"

"Just one extra," Victoria added. "We need this stuff."

"Thanks..." Laurant's voice dragged, though his stomach easily got the best of him and he fiddled around with his hand until he found the marshmallows on the ground.

"No chocolate though," James told him, "Sorry. We're out."

"Where did the two Hersey bars go?"

Victoria licked her fingers one by one and then looked Laurant in the eye with a smirk that matched James's.

"Of course," he said, "Women and their chocolate."

"I'm glad you understand," she told him, still smiling.

Laurant wanted to lecture the two of them about the importance of rationing, and was even about to deny the second s'more he'd been offered. Now, he decided to indulge, and filled each set of crackers with a marshmallow.

"Aren't you going to light them over the fire?" Victoria asked, "Isn't that the whole point?"

Her tone made his core ache. "Only when there's chocolate to melt it with." Laurant looked her in the for a few seconds upon finishing the statement before chowing down on his late night snack.

"Maybe we can sneak around in the early morning," James suggested, "Maybe find some people nearby. I'm sure someone has guns, or something we can use."

"I'd rather not steal if-" Laurant began. James cut him off again.

"Everyone's a monster now," he said, flashing his famous grin, "Remember?"

Laurant stood up, feeling suddenly vulnerable being eye to eye with James. He took another bite of his marshmallow sandwich.

_I have to get out of here_, he thought, _I need to find another way to survive._


	17. Between A Rock and Hard Place

Use of the crossbow was an essential part of survival in the current ways of the world. The four of them had been actively practicing using the crossbow in order to either take down walkers or hunt for food. While Esme carefully washed each one after it was used, they had designated a handful of arrows for hunting, and a handful for killing the undead. They marked the hunting arrows with white tape in order to tell the difference.

Carlisle stared intently at a deer in the distance with Esme crouched at his side. He knew he would have to wait for the perfect moment to pull the trigger that released the arrow in order to secure the kill.

Esme's raspy breaths next to him made him uneasy. "It'll feed us for days," he whispered.

"I know," she said back with a nod, not taking her eyes off of his target.

Carlisle waited until the animal bowed its head before unleashing the weapon. A moment later, the large buck tipped and fell, squirming in a bed of leaves before it ultimately stopped moving in a heap on the ground.

The two of them waited a moment before Esme's laugh startled him. She slammed a hand down enthusiastically on his forearm and laughed.

"Carlisle, you got it," she said in shock, "You got it!"

He raised his eyebrows and looked at the crossbow for a moment before a light laugh rippled out of his chest. Carlisle turned to face Esme before she connected her lips with his. When she pulled away, she had a big smile on her face.

"I've never cooked deer before," she admitted, "But it should be too hard."

Carlisle smiled, not originally aware that Esme would be so okay with the art of hunting. "Yeah..." He removed a tarp from the bag he wore on his back and took Esme's hand as they approached the kill some thirty yards away.

"Think we can drag this back to where we parked the car?" he asked.

Esme nodded, "I just wish the tribe members would let us hunt behind the house. It would be so much easier and more discreet." They crossed the empty woods to where the buck lied. Its eyes were still open, though it was clearly dead.

Carlisle bent down, "Want to help me spread the tarp?"

She nodded, unable to keep her eyes off the deer for a few seconds.

Once the tarp was laid out, Carlisle glanced at his wife. "I'll get it onto the tarp myself," he assured her.

"No, I can help you," she said reassuringly.

Carlisle could see the apprehension in her facial expression. He touched her arm gently. "I've got it. Could you loop the rope through the holes at the top so we can drag it?"

Esme nodded and didn't push the issue any farther. She began pulling the rope through the two circular holes at the top of the blue tarp.

Carlisle dragged the deer and placed it in the center before securing one of its legs to the rope.

Esme's head sprung up upon hearing the sound of twigs breaking and leaves moving. The familiar sounds of growling began to fill the air.

"Something's coming," she whispered, clutching onto Carlisle's sleeve.

He stood upright and looked around.

"It's apart dark," Esme pointed out, "Isn't that what the tribesmen warned the kids about?"

The ruffling and the growls grew more prominent, and from around the side of a rock cliff a mass of walkers began to emerge.

Carlisle's eyes grew wide and he reached for Esme's hand.

"Come on," he urged, pulling her in the opposite direction of the herd.

Esme stared for a moment before her feet finally began to function. Her fingers tightened around Carlisle's hand and she followed quickly behind him.

When he cursed, Esme knew there was something wholly wrong. Before she could ask, Carlisle was pulling her with him in between two rock faces.

Esme heard him wince as he slammed his back hard against the uneven rock. His arms clung to her protectively and kept her back pressed against his chest.

Esme tried to control her breathing as she peered out in horror as mass amounts of walks began to take over the woods surrounding them.

She felt Carlisle's hand shake slightly as he held her. The two of them were barely visible from behind the rocks, though if any of the walkers caught sight of them they would be in mortal danger.

"Carlisle-" Esme began to whisper, but he quickly attempted to keep her quiet.

"Shh..." he said as quietly as possible.

Esme placed both of her hands over his as they remained as camouflaged as possible against the rock face.

Growling and snarling filled the air, and the two of them heard the undead creatures beginning to feast upon the deer's corpse that Carlisle had killed for food. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing that they were distracted by the carcass or if it would keep them in the area longer.

Esme alternated between closing her eyes shut and opening them again to make sure the walkers were continuing to pass them by. Without warning, a body dropped from above and crashed into the top of one of the jagged rocks that they stood behind.

She screamed and Carlisle rushed his hand so it was gently over her mouth.

"Shh..." he said again, attempting to be soothing as he did so. He rested his face against hers and held her closer.

The body of the walker that landed in front of them had been slightly dismembered, as the creature was now missing an arm and a leg. It began to scamper along the ground toward where the others were feasting on the deer.

Carlisle's hand continued to shake and Esme felt nervous tears weld up in her eyes.

"It's okay," he whispered quietly. "It didn't see us." He glanced upward with just his eyes and saw where the lone walker had drifted off the cliff.

_Please don't let any others fall_, he prayed. Carlisle was aware that they may have dodged a bullet from the way the thing had fallen.

Esme tried to remain calm. Her hands shook heavier than Carlisle's as she tried desperately to control herself.

"We're okay," he whispered directly into her ear.

She closed her eyes and let her body sink into his, pretending they weren't surrounded by gruesome beings that wanted to tear them apart.

When darkness fell completely upon them, Esme began to worry. The walkers remained in packs in the woods. No others had fallen from the cliff above, though neither she or Carlisle ruled out the possibility of it happening again. On top of it all, the night air had crept in and began to paralyze their bodies. Each of them had prepared for a trip of an hour or two into the woods, though they didn't expect to be staying out in the cold.

Carlisle carefully and slowly removed the jacket he had on and draped it over Esme's shoulders.

She turned to protest, but Carlisle insisted.

Esme wanted to argue, seeing the cold breaths leaving his mouth every time he exhaled or whispered something to her. The only reason she complied was because she didn't want to draw any attention to them by arguing that _he_ needed the jacket.

Carlisle felt the immediate effects of Washington's incoming winter weather. The air pierced him like a thousand icicles and he tried not to shiver for Esme's sake.

"You-you need the jacket," she whispered quietly.

"I'm fine," he whispered back, wrapping his arms back around her. The black thermal shirt he had on did little to protect him from the cold.

Esme bit her bottom lip to keep herself from weeping. She was terrified of the walkers, she was terrified of the dark, she was terrified of the cold. On top of it, she was emotional in knowing that Carlisle must have freezing, despite his claims otherwise. Edward and Rosalie were at home, and now down in numbers and without their support and supervision. If someone broke down the front door, Esme didn't know if they would know what to do, or if they could fend for themselves.

While she trusted Carlisle's judgment of the Quileute tribesmen, she wasn't fully convinced that they were harmless. They had at least an idea of where they were staying.

_Please let us make it through this night, _she thought. _Please let us survive the elements._

...

Midnight rolled around and Edward couldn't keep himself from staring at the clock. He paced the living room and kept peering out the window.

"Something's wrong," he said, shaking his head and looking at Rosalie.

"What can we do?" she asked, "We're not even sure where they went."

"Carlisle said they were taking a right out of the driveway. He said that road lead north like the Quileutes asked."

"Do you think they could have run into the guys we did?" Rosalie asked him, concerned. "Did they not go far enough?"

Edward clenched his jaw and ran a hand through his head, "I'm sure they did. Damn it, I wish we had a second car. Do you think we could go out and search by foot?"

"We can't possibly hike out into the night. It's a recipe for disaster."

"I need to know where they are," he told her firmly, "They're my family."

"But we don't know where they went exactly."

"They went north."

"Where's north?" Rosalie shouted back.

"Right out of the driveway and straight down the road."

"How far?" she argued, putting her hands up.

"I don't know!" he said, raising his voice.

Edward made his way toward the window and looked through two boards they had nailed to the wall. He saw nothing but darkness. The night was still. There were no cars, no people, no walkers.

"They might need help," he said, feeling helpless, "They wouldn't just not come back."

"Maybe something happened to the car and they had to walk all the way back."

"A recipe for disaster is how you described being on foot at night," Edward reminded her.

A groan from upstairs caught both of their attention, and Emmett could be heard stirring in bed.

"I should get him some water," Rosalie said, "When was the last time he's had any?"

Edward shrugged and returned his attention to the window.

"You don't care?" she asked.

"Of course I care!" he shouted, "Go help him then."

Rosalie wanted to argue back, but she knew he was as worried as she was about Carlisle and Esme, and probably more. She began to take the stairs by two to aid the man upstairs, hearing Edward's fist slam against the table in frustration.

"What do I do?" he asked himself aloud.

Rosalie had a twisting feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible might have happened to Carlisle and Esme.


	18. Visitor

Edward paced the kitchen. He was conflicted and scared for the lives of Carlisle and Esme. For the fiftieth strait time he ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

_Screw it_, he thought to himself. He rushed toward the front door and was about to rip the door open by the gold handle when Rosalie's voice called down from the top step.

"What are you doing?!" she called. Her hands were on her hips and she looked as if she was about to fly down the stairs to stop him.

"I'm going," he said, looking up the set of stairs.

"No you're not," Rosalie demanded.

"Stop me." He turned back around and unlocked the door, prompting Rosalie to run down the stairs at full speed.

"Edward!" Her hand slammed against the wood as he fought to open the door.

"Stop!" he called.

"It's suicide!"

"I have my machete," he argued, before taking a breath to stop fighting her for a moment.

Rosalie looked at him with angry, yet empathetic eyes. "I understand."

"No you don't."

"I do," she said, putting her hand on her chest, "You love them. They could be in a dangerous situation."

"Right." He turned to go, but Rosalie's hand slammed in front of him again.

"You can't go out there. If they come back and you're out there alone then Esme will be horrified. Carlisle will have to go looking for you on his own because he'd never let Esme go with him."

Edward's facial features hardened, but his eyes scanned the room as he thought about her words.

Rosalie could see she was being persuasive enough to possibly change his mind. "Thank about it," she went on, "You have no clue where they are. They could be hiding out somewhere until the morning. What if they came back and you didn't have to put yourself in danger?"

"What if they aren't," Edward said back.

"If they aren't then... then they might already be... I don't know."

"Might already be what?"

Rosalie didn't answer, though the two of them stood only a few inches apart without breaking eye contact. "Stay in the house," she repeated, "For your sake and theirs."

Edward knew it was stupid to go out at all hours of the night in search of Carlisle and Esme. It was true: he didn't know where they were to be exact and if they drove five miles before pulling over to hunt it would take him awhile to get that far, if he even made it at all.

"Stay," Rosalie repeated. She slowly removed her hand from the door and looked back up the stairwell.

"What if they don't come back?" he asked her. "What then?"

She thought for a moment before turning back to him. "If they don't come back by sunrise, I'll go out with you to look for them."

Edward knew it was smart, though he still had the urge to go.

The two of them stood in silence for a moment, and Edward caught his breath upon the few moments of anxious agitation.

Rosalie was about to turn to go tend to Emmett some more when she and Edward heard a creak on the front porch.

"Esme-" he began and was about to fling the door open.

"Wait!" Rosalie whispered enthusiastically. She placed her ear by the door and listened.

Edward's eyes drifted toward the top of the door in search for a peep hole to look through. He clenched his jaw when he realized there was none.

Another slow step made both of them cringe with anxiety and the two of them locked eyes.

Rosalie's eyes were wide and Edward appeared like a cat ready to pounce.

Three light knocks on the door made both of them jump back, and Rosalie put a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes.

Edward tried to control his breathing as he stood with his hands placed flat on the door.

Rosalie opened her eyes and looked at him, before mouthing the words, _what do we do?_

He didn't immediately answer, and jumped back again when the person on the other side knocked again.

The silence was deafening, and neither of them were totally sure what the right move was. Questions plagued their minds.

_Who was knocking on the door? Did they have something to do with the absence of Carlisle and Esme? Was it the original owners of the house? Was it someone coming in to start trouble? Why would someone be coming around here after midnight?_

"Hello!" A low male voice from the other side of the door called in to them.

Rosalie felt her hands begin to shake and she tried to remain calm. She wished more than ever that Carlisle and Esme were home. She knew someone could easily try to take advantage of two younger people on their own. Still, she felt a sense of comfort with Edward at her side.

"Hello!" The voice echoed, a little louder this time. "We're looking for the doctor. Is anyone home?"

"Doctor..." Edward said quietly. He thought back to their meeting with the Quileutes in the woods. He looked at Rosalie, who he could tell right away was on the same page.

"The guys from the woods?" she whispered.

"Who is it?" Edward boldly responded.

The man on the porch cleared his throat, "My name is Sam Uley. Members of my family said there was a doctor nearby, goes by the name Cullen. Is he here?"

Edward looked down toward the door handle, and Rosalie nodded as she now encouraged him to open it.

He carefully turned the knob, opening the door just a few inches so he could peer outside. "What do you want?"

Sam put his hands up, "I'm not here for trouble." He looked over his shoulder, "Can I come in?"

"How'd you get out here this late at night?" Edward asked, "Jacob told us that walkers surround the place at night."

"I stayed to the roads," he said, "But there are many nearby. We get around on bicycles whenever its safe enough to do so. They aren't loud and you can cover a lot more ground." He pointed toward the grass where he'd slumped the bike down a few feet from the porch.

"What do you want?" Edward repeated.

"Is Dr. Cullen here?"

Edward looked back at him and raised his eyebrows, waiting for the response to his original question.

Sam caught on and sighed, "My wife's in need of a doctor."

Rosalie looked at Edward, and then waved Sam inside, "Come in," she said.

Edward looked at her skeptically for a moment but stepped back as Sam didn't hesitate to get out of the cold.

"So, is he here?" Sam asked, looking around the inside of the place.

"No," Edward replied, "He went out hunting earlier with his wife Esme; my aunt. They haven't come back yet and I'm starting to worry."

"When did they go out?"

"Hours ago," he stated, "Well before dark. Your people said we aren't allowed to hunt on Quileute land so they had to risk going far north to hunt. Now they haven't come back."

Sam looked apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"I'd say it's okay, but I'd be lying." Edward's voice was stern.

"Is your wife hurt?" Rosalie asked Sam.

He glanced over to her, "No. No, not exactly."

"What would she need a doctor for then?" Edward asked.

Sam looked down and shook his head. "She's eight months pregnant."

Rosalie raised her eyebrows, feeling immediate sympathy for the man.

Edward's eyes softened a bit and looked around, appearing frustrated that he was forced to care.

"My uncle said that a doctor lived nearby and he suspected it was this house. We decided to have a child well before the world went downhill. Now it feels more like a burden than a blessing."

"No," Rosalie shook her head, "It _is_ a blessing."

"Do you have any vehicles?" Edward asked, "Besides the bikes?"

Sam nodded, "We're trying to use them sparingly."

"I need a vehicle," Edward said, "Not permanently, but we need to find Carlisle and Esme. They're probably in trouble and that's why they're not back yet."

Sam looked at him and nodded. He didn't hesitate. "Okay."

"You'll get one for me?"

He nodded again and reached in his waistband beneath a leather jacket to remove a walkie talkie radio. "Jacob," he spoke simply in a deep voice.

Edward and Rosalie looked at each other as if to say, _I want those_.

"Yeah?" Jacob's voice came back.

"Get the truck and drive over to Cullen house."

"Why?" he responded in a less-than-thrilled tone.

"Just do it, Jacob."

A few seconds went by before he responded. "What's this about?"

"Dr. Cullen hasn't returned with his wife from a hunting trip," Sam explained, "We need to go look for them."

Jacob's voice, again, was loathsome, but he complied. "10-4."

Sam looked at both of them, "Jacob's on his way. It'll only be a few minutes."

Edward nodded and looked at Rosalie. Emmett stirred upstairs and Sam followed their gaze toward the second level.

"I'll stay with him," she volunteered.

"No." Edward shook his head.

"Someone has to."

"He'll be fine."

"If walkers got in here he wouldn't have a chance," Rosalie argued.

"They won't."

"You don't know that for sure." She shook her head, "I'll be fine."

"What if they send some more of their guys out here while I'm gone?" Edward asked blatantly, referring to Sam's people.

"Us?" Sam asked, squinting his eyes.

"You're here unprotected," Edward went on, looking only at Rosalie.

"Edward," she said, "I'll be fine. Go with Sam and find your aunt and uncle." Rosalie looked him in the eye and he knew she was serious. "I'll lock up behind you."

Edward reluctantly agreed and waited with Sam by the door until Jacob's voice came over the radio again, signaling he was out front.

"Go," Rosalie said again. She pulled him in for a hug and looked at Sam. "I hope you find them safe."


	19. One By One

A light snow began to fall and Carlisle tried to control how much the cold had begun to affect him. He held Esme tighter, aching for some type of body heat as growls continued to fill the night air around them.

It's like being in a shark tank, he thought.

"Carlisle," Esme whispered, "You've got to be freezing."

He was about to insist otherwise when a walker lurched toward them without warning, snapping its jaws in their direction.

Esme was about to scream but suppressed it and bit her bottom lip as the undead man struggled to get to them behind the pair of jagged rocks. Carlisle pulled Esme back so she was behind him and removed a knife from his pocket, plunging it into the walker's eye socket before the heap of bone and flesh slumped to the ground below.

Carlisle breathed in heavily a few times, staring down toward the ground. His eyes shifted toward the open woods where zombies began to turn their attention toward them.

"What?" Esme asked, feeling his free hand squeeze her jacket.

He continued to look out into the darkness. Three or four walkers lead the way in their direction and he closed his eyes.

"Do you have a knife with you?" he whispered.

"Yes." She reached a shivering hand into the pocket of her pants and removed a pocket knife they'd found at the house.

Carlisle took it and released her jacket, now preparing to oust the zombies with two knives rather than one.

"What is it?" Esme asked again.

"They're coming this way." He couldn't lie to her, knowing in just a few seconds she would be made aware of the truth.

Esme felt fear build up in her chest and every inch of her body tightened up.

"Stay behind me," he urged, "Don't try to move at all. Hopefully they won't be able to break past the rocks." Hopefully.

"Oh, God." She sighed.

"It's okay." He tried to sound reassuring and turned around part way to look her in the eye with a confident nod.

Esme felt secure from Carlisle's expression, but she couldn't shake the fear.

An arm reached over the top of the rock face and Carlisle zoned in on its head, easily taking down the first attacker.

The rest was a blur for both of them. Carlisle plunged the knife time and time again into the heads and faces of the walkers that were now honed in on them.

Esme felt like everything was happening in slow motion. Carlisle's right arm crashed over and in between the rocks as he struggled to keep up with the herd of zombies attacking them.

He breathed heavy and struggled as the numbers gained on them, grunting several times as the muscles in his arm began to tire.

"Carlisle..." Esme could see the circumstances beginning to fall out of their favor.

The amount of walkers in the area was too high and it was almost impossible to keep up.

Carlisle switched arms and began to rely on his mom-dominant hand to do the damage. Still, like a boxer in a ring after a number of rounds he felt the fatigue begin to take over.

He hoped by some chance another rush of adrenaline would allow him to soldier on, but it wasn't hitting him.

Esme wanted to be of help and take his place but there was no time for hesitation. She heard Carlisle cry out in both anger and pain before he continued to fight.

Blood trickled down his arm from his hand where he had been wounded.

Right then Esme feared the worst. She didn't know if Carlisle had cut himself or had been bitten. She had to know.

"See if you can climb up the cliff behind us." Carlisle huffed out the words as he struggled to press on against the walkers.

Esme looked up. The rock-face was slanted outward, making the thought of climbing all the more difficult. Her eyes searched desperately for somewhere to start but there was nothing.

She turned and saw the blood now gushing from Carlisle's hand and for the first time she truly felt as if they weren't going to make it.

Esme felt some force take over and she shoved her husband behind her, removing one of the knives from his hand.

She didn't think. She began to attack as furiously as Carlisle had.

He didn't have time to argue with her. Esme went with her instincts and killed off the walkers until they began piling up around them.

"Leave us alone!" she called out, unable to control herself.

Carlisle's eyes lit up as he saw a light illuminate the woods before a massive black truck plowed through the walkers that were still alive in front of them.

Esme stopped what she was doing and stood in awe for a moment as a majority of the crowd now turned their attention to whoever just crashed into the wooded area.

Esme gasped and Carlisle repositioned himself in front of her as two walkers continued their pursuit of the two of them.

He used all of his strength to kill them off before huffing and puffing, placing both of his hands on the rocks in front of them.

Esme collapsed onto his back and breathed heavily. She swallowed hard and appreciated the break in action while she attempted to contain herself.

Carlisle turned to her. "Come on,"he struggled to catch his breath but held out his good hand. "Let's go while they're distracted."

"Who was that?" She asked, knowing he didn't know any better than she did.

"We're not staying to find out."

He leapt in between the rocks and pulled her with him as quickly and carefully as possible. "Let's get out of here," he huffed.

Esme ran with him, only to be immediately confronted by a mass amount of walkers around the bend of the rock cliff.

Both of them felt a wave of hopelessness before a gunshot rang through the air.

Carlisle whipped around and noticed a band of three men before he heard Edward's familiar voice.

"Carlisle, Esme! Come on!" he stood in the back of the truck and waved an arm in their direction.

"Edward?" Esme's voice was shrill and full of surprise.

Carlisle looked over his shoulder and saw the walkers approaching. He pushed Esme ahead of him and the two of them ran full speed toward Edward.

Esme hoisted herself up onto the bed of the truck and Carlisle followed.

"Go, go, go!" Edward ordered, prompting Jacob, who was driving, to whip the car around so they were facing the area they came in from.

The walkers that had been in the way were easily run down, even more so with the aid of a large plow that hung off the front of the truck. There was no question as to who was winning that battle.

Carlisle looked awestruck as they barreled away from the wooded area and back onto the road. He had a million questions, though all he could think of was how close they were to dying, and how they were safe again.

"How did you know where we were?" he asked, unable to fully catch his breath.

"I didn't," Edward said, grasping onto the side of the truck with one hand as Jacob continued to speed away.

"Then how-"

"We saw the car, and then I saw the tarp in the headlights of the car and assumed you were in the area."

"You got to us just in time," Esme told him, squinting her eyes through the wind.

He looked at both of them and his voice got low and serious. "I thought you were dead."

Carlisle leaned his back against the back window of the truck and guided Esme in front of him so he could hold her. He closed his eyes. "So did I."

Esme felt his chest heave up and down. "Where's Rosalie?"

"The house."

"Alone?"

"She's fine," Edward said, "She wanted to care for Emmett."

Carlisle's eyes opened and he turned to peer inside the cab of the truck.

"It's Jacob," he said, "One of the guys Rosalie and I ran into while we were testing out the crossbow a few days ago. Sam Uley is in the passenger seat."

"How did you get back together with them?" Esme asked him.

Edward looked at Carlisle. "Sam requested your help." His thoughts drifted back to the present, "I can't believe we found you." He shook his head, staring out into space.

Carlisle took in a deep breath, "We shot a deer," he began, "A big buck and we tied it to the tarp to bring back. This was before it was even dark yet so it had to be about five o'clock."

Edward listened, eager to hear every detail.

"A mass of them came around a big rock cliff," Carlisle went on, "We left the deer and began to run back where we came from but they were everywhere so we hid behind these two big rocks. They swarmed the deer and didn't see us for awhile. I thought we'd end up lasting the night just hiding there but one of them came our way and drew the others." He made eye contact with Edward, "It was bad."

Esme looked at Edward and put a hand on his face. "You saved us."

He shook his head, "I don't know what I would do without you guys."

Carlisle nodded. "Thank you." He looked into the cab again, "When we get back to the house I'll extend my gratitude to both of them for risking their lives for us, too." He looked down toward his hand, causing Esme and Edward to do the same.

Esme looked up into his eyes and felt worry build up in her chest. All of her fears rushed back to the surface.

_I hope he wasn't bit_, she prayed. _Please tell me he wasn't bit._


	20. Wash Away the Pain

Sam exited the truck as Jacob put it to a halt in front of the house where Carlisle, Esme and Edward were staying. He approached the bed as Edward hopped out first before Carlisle helped Esme down.

"You can go Jacob," Sam said in an orderly fashion, though Carlisle put up a hand.

"Wait!" he made his way around to the driver's side. "Jacob, thank you."

"It's not a problem," the young man said dryly. "This is the world we live in now."

"You, Sam and Edward… you saved our lives. You didn't have to do this."

"It's what we do," Jacob said. He nodded one time before putting the car in drive.

Sam looked over at Carlisle again. "Dr. Cullen?"

He nodded.

"I may need your help with something… if you don't mind."

"Of course," Carlisle said. He looked around the street, "Let's go inside."

Esme reached for his hand and marched toward the house behind Edward and Sam.

"Rosalie!" Edward called.

There were parading, heavy footsteps before the front door swung open. Relief filled Rosalie's face as she stared out at them.

"Oh my God." Her body flooded with happiness and she flung her arms around Esme first, and then Carlisle.

They closed the door behind them and everyone settled inside, preparing to decompress after the events that occurred.

"What's going on?" Carlisle asked, "Sam is it?"

He nodded once, "My wife is pregnant."

Carlisle raised his eyebrows, "How far along his she?"

"Eight months."

Esme looked at Carlisle and then to Sam. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Sam looked at Carlisle, "I heard you were a doctor. I don't know what to do when she goes into labor. I wouldn't know if the baby was positioned the right way... none of it."

He didn't hesitate. "I'll come by. Where do you live?"

"Less than a half a mile from here," Sam told him.

"Have there been any complications?"

He shook his head, "No. Not that either of us are aware of."

Carlisle nodded, "Let me just wrap my hand and I'll go with you."

"It doesn't have to be tonight," Sam explained. "You've been through a lot." He glanced at his bleeding hand, and then looked back up, "If Jacob and I come by tomorrow we can drive you over to the house if that's alright."

He nodded again, "Sure."

"And if you'd like to get the car you left behind, it'll be safer in the morning as well."

"That would be great," Carlisle said to him, "Thank you."

Sam nodded.

"Thank you for saving us," Esme added another time.

"Of course." He looked around at all of them and then heard Jacob's voice come over the walkie talkie.

"Bring the bike back to the road. I'll pick you up out front."

Sam looked around the room and responded with a simple, "Okay," into the radio. "I'll be back some time tomorrow."

"Get home safely," Esme told him.

He nodded once and headed back toward the front door, exiting slowly and quietly.

They watched him go, leaving the door open until hearing the click of the passenger door before Jacob turned the truck around and headed toward their home.

Edward shut the door, as everyone backed away.

"Carlisle," Esme said, "Your hand..."

Edward and Rosalie glanced down at the blood that covered his palm and forearm.

He looked up at them. "I cut it on the rock we were hiding behind." He paced toward the countertop and used a dish towel to cover it, before showing everyone the long slice on his hand.

Esme grasped his hand with both of hers and closed her eyes with a loud sigh.

Carlisle wrapped his hand, and then excused himself to get rubbing alcohol out of Esme's backpack in the other room.

Edward and Rosalie stared at Esme, and the three of them stood in silence for a moment.

"What happened?" Rosalie finally asked.

Esme slumped down into one of the kitchen chairs and looked thoroughly exhausted. "They swarmed us. We almost..." she shook her head, "It was a situation that got out of hand very fast."

"I'm sorry." Rosalie eyed the tiles on the kitchen floor.

"I thought he got bit," Esme said quietly. She shook her head and then laughed for a moment before she began to cry.

Rosalie immediately made her way across the table and threw her arms around Esme. She rubbed her back and Esme let out all of the stress that had built up over the course of the last six or more hours.

Edward stood with his hands on his hips silently, and eyed Carlisle as he rounded back into the room.

His eyes focused on Esme, and Rosalie made brief eye contact with him, noting that his hand was cleaned and bandaged up.

Esme sniffled in and dried her eyes as Rosalie allowed her space to breath, though didn't go far. She reached for a stray napkin on the counter behind them and handed to Esme.

She took in a deep breath and used the napkin to wipe her tears away before feeling suddenly self-conscious that everyone was staring at her.

Rosalie rubbed her back. "Are you okay?"

Esme nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You've had a hell of a day." She shook her head, "I can't imagine."

She sniffled in again, "How is Emmett?"

"He seems to be doing okay, but he's sleeping a lot."

Esme nodded and took in another deep breath before noticing the clock on the wall. "Two in the morning?" She recognized that more time had passed than she thought.

"We should probably all get some sleep," Carlisle said, looking around the room. "It's been a long day."

Edward nodded and looked at them. "Yeah."

Rosalie sighed and headed toward the doorway, "I may take everyone up on that offer." She looked at Edward, "I guess I'll settle for the bottom bunk."

He managed a half-smile, but was still overly affected by the night's events.

Rosalie took the stairs by two, and Edward approached Carlisle and Esme. "I love you guys," he said simply.

Esme looked at him and then stood up and hugged him close to her in a motherly fashion. "I love you, too, Edward," she said quietly, still holding him as tears threatened to break free of her eyes again, "Thank you for coming for us."

"You're welcome."

They stood their together for a moment before Esme pulled back and then kissed him on the cheek. He flashed a concerned smile before heading toward where Carlisle still stood just a step into the kitchen. Similarly, they shared a hug and Edward joined Rosalie upstairs to try to get some sleep.

Esme and Carlisle stood staring at each other before he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. She began to cry again, needing to get everything out that had been bundled up inside of her.

The day's events were too much. They almost died. She feared Carlisle might have been bitten... it was the closest call since they had been forced to survive the elements around them.

"We're okay," Carlisle whispered.

Esme couldn't control her sobs. They poured out with necessity. She didn't have it in her to keep the emotions inside.

Carlisle let her get it out and tried his best to be soothing in the process. When she finally pulled back, she looked up at him with glistening hazel eyes before he planted a kiss on her lips.

"We're okay," he repeated.

"I know." She tried to gain a proper breathing pattern back and within a minute or two, she felt calm again.

Carlisle held out his hand, "Are there any good clothes down here?"

Esme cleared her throat and then nodded. "In the laundry room."

He guided them toward the back of the house and found fresh clothing for both of them to put on. Right next to the laundry room was a small, downstairs bathroom and he quickly started the shower and found a few towels in the linen closet.

Esme followed him in and closed the door, noting a basket-style hamper in the corner of the cramped room. She removed her blood-stained clothing one by one and tossed them in while Carlisle did the same.

Steam began to fill up the bathroom and the warmth was extremely comforting. It began to thaw out her limbs and bring her back to neutral.

"Come on." Carlisle helped her into the shower and removed the elastic from her hair.

Esme took another deep breath and stepped inside ahead of him, relishing in the feel of the hot water as it landed on her back.

Carlisle allowed her the access to the water first, and then found a bottle of body wash on one of the small shelves.

Esme closed her eyes and turned to face the water while Carlisle massaged the soap across her upper back and shoulders. "Thank you," she said quietly, knowing there was nothing else that was capable of getting her past everything that had taken place.

She focused on the soothing, smooth feel of his hands and felt pleasure-filled shivers travel down her spine as his thumbs dug into her neck and shoulder muscles.

"You okay?" he asked.

Esme nodded, "Yeah." She turned toward him, letting the water wash away the soap on her back. Her eyes met his and she kissed him softly.

Carlisle kissed her back and Esme switched places with him.

"Finish," he said, "I can wait."

She shook her head, "I'll do my hair over here and then we'll switch back."

Carlisle didn't argue. He positioned himself beneath the beating showerhead and let the hot water take away every lingering chill that his body possessed. He closed his eyes, feeling Esme's hands begin to travel along his chest.

When he opened his eyes, she closed the distance between them and kissed him again, this time a little harder.

Carlisle didn't hold back. He didn't want to. His hands traveled the length of his wife's body as they clung to one another with more passion and emotion than they could ever remember.

"I love you, Carlisle," Esme told him. She pushed away and looked him in the eye before touching the side of his face. Tears filled her eyes again and she shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Stop," he said, shaking his head. He wiped suds away from her forehead and brought his lips back to herself before switching their positions again so Esme could rinse her hair. "I love you, too."

Esme sighed and let the feel of the water draw her in again.

Soap trailed off her hair and down her back. She looked to the side and reached for Carlisle's hand.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her closely from behind, kissing the beads of water away from her bare shoulder blades.

"We're alive," he reminded her, paying attention to every part of her body with his hands before resting one on her breast and one on her lower abdomen. "And we're going to stay that way."

Esme sunk into him and covered his arms with her own. "I thought you were bit."

"I wasn't," he said, letting his lips graze her earlobe.

She inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"We'll never give up, Esme."

"I know," she agreed, turning toward him again.

Carlisle tucked some hair away from her face and they shared another long kiss, leaving no more room for words.

Esme let her hands drift down his body and Carlisle pulled her hips to his so they connected. She studied the beads of water as they decorated his face and chiseled body. Even in the heat of the moment she was able to think how it was almost as if the water was washing away the pain of that day.

Carlisle's mouth hung open next to hers and he closed his eyes as she kissed him again.

"I love you," she said again, grasping her hands around the back of his neck and shoulders.

His lips parted from hers though his eyes remained closed in their tender embrace. "I love you, too, Esme."


	21. Angel

**If anyone is interested, I made a "movie trailer" for this story just for fun. If you go to: youtube dot com/watch?v=u_Zy7uHps0g It doesn't let me type the youtube URL. Thanks, let me know what ya think. **

Sam knocked on the door and Carlisle had gotten everything together in a bag in order to treat his wife to the best of his ability.

"Thank you for again for agreeing to help us," Sam told him.

"It's not a problem," Carlisle told him with a nod. He zipped the bag and tossed it over one of his shoulders.

Sam made eye contact with Esme, who stood just behind her husband. He could see the worried expression on her face.

"Here." He removed the handheld radio from the waistband of his jeans. "You can communicate to us using this."

Esme extended her hand and gratefully accepted the offer. "Thank you."

He nodded.

Rosalie and Edward entered the living room where they all stood and Carlisle turned to Esme.

"I won't be long," he explained.

She nodded back. "Make her feel secure."

Carlisle nodded again and leaned in to kiss Esme on the cheek.

She hugged him and escorted the two of them to the door.

"Be careful," Edward said as they headed outside.

The sound of the truck's engine filled the air.

Carlisle turned and gave a wave before he and Sam jogged out to the driveway where Jacob sat waiting.

Esme slowly closed the door and locked it before glancing down at the radio in her hand.

Before she could be the one go first speak over the walkie talkie, Jacob's voice rang through the all speaker.

"We're in the red house up the road on the left if you happen to need us."

Esme looked down and then pressed the button to speak. "Thank you."

She paced across the room and plopped down onto the couch next to Edward.

Rosalie stood with her arms folded and leaned against the wall. Her eyes were far away until she heard Emmett stir upstairs.

"I've got him," she said, beginning to make her way toward the staircase.

Esme looked at her, "Are you sure? You've been taking care of him an awful lot."

She smiled, "I was in school to become a nurse... was thinking about led school, myself, but I guess we'll never know if I would have made it."

Esme smiled, picturing Rosalie in better times studying quietly in a library somewhere."

"I didn't know blondes were smart," Edward teased with a smirk.

"Dummy, your uncle is blonde and he's a doctor." She gave him a look for a moment and then smiles back as she took the stairs up to the second level as if she had won the battle of wits.

"I think she got you there," Esme told him managing a grin.

Rosalie still smiled to herself and entered the room where Emmett still laid.

"Hello." The young man opened his eyes and turned toward Rosalie as she entered.

Rosalie's eyes widened just slightly as she wasn't expecting him to be so wide awake. "Hi," she said.

"How long have I been up here?" He asked, lifting the cover to examine the wound on his midsection.

"Days," Rosalie said with a shrug, "Maybe a week."

"Good drugs you got here." Emmett smiled at his own joke, "The morphine has made it all seem like an odd dream."

Rosalie flashed a small smile. "You're lucky you got to us. The man who fixed you up is a doctor."

Emmett stared at her and a smile crossed his face.

Rosalie suddenly felt self-conscious, though was equally mesmerized by his boyish dimples.

"What?" She asked.

Emmett continued to stare at her, still grinning. "I thought in my haze that I was in heaven."

Rosalie nodded, "I'm sure the medicine can easily play with your vision and your mind."

"I don't know so much that it was the meds," Emmett told her, "I remember seeing your face lingering above me and I could have sworn you were an angel."

She didn't know what to say. Rosalie just looked at him and suddenly felt shy. In all of her life she had never felt so flattered by a comment before. She had never had a problem attracted men. They practically lined up around the block for a chance at a date with her, and she knew that she was awfully picky about whom she had chosen to date.

"I'm not trying to be a creep," Emmett added with a laugh. He continued to smile at her, despite not knowing where he was, who he was with or the actual condition of his body.

"No." She shook her head and placed a hand over the heart necklace that was strung around her neck. It was gold and encrusted in diamonds; a gift from Royce. The one sentence that Emmett had directed at her made her want to tear it off and throw it out the window for the walkers to have. "I don't think you're a creep."

Emmett yawned and sat up halfway in the bed. He winced a bit, but managed to sit up strait so he leaned his back against the headboard. "I can't remember how I got here," he admitted.

"You showed up on the doorstep bleeding," Rosalie told him, "We carried you inside and Carlisle stitched you up."

"Who's Carlisle?"

"He's the doctor."

"What did I do to get so lucky?" Emmett wondered aloud.

"I know," Rosalie agreed with a nod. "You sure hit the lottery by landing on the steps of a doctor."

He grinned, still staring at her, "I wasn't talking about the doc."

She squinted her eyes, trying to study his demeanor.

"Sorry," he said with another laugh, running his hand over the bandage on his side. "I'm not usually _this_ forward. Maybe it's the meds... or the amount of broken sleep I've had lately."

"It-it's okay," Rosalie said. She grinned and looked down as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Thank you," Emmett said sincerely. His voice got more serious. "I mean it. I know you've been taking care of me. Every time I woke up, or at least I think when I woke up, you were always sitting in here by the window." He pointed his finger toward the pane of glass that separated them from the outside world.

"Well, I was in school for nursing before all this went down," she explained, "It's kind of in my nature."

"A doctor... a nurse..." he shrugged, "I really did get lucky."

Rosalie smiled at him, "How do you feel?"

"Um... okay I guess." His face twisted with wonder, "I got separated from my family."

"Were they staying on the reservation?"

"What reservation?"

Rosalie could see the true confusion on his face. "We're on the Quileute Reservation."

"Native American tribe?" he guessed.

She nodded.

"We actually just moved out here," Emmett explained, "Just a few months ago from Tennessee."

Rosalie couldn't hide a mild grin. She had picked up on a slight southern drawl, though it wasn't overly apparent. "Gotcha."

"The last thing I really remember fully was being attacked by a bear in the woods," Emmett told her. He shook his head, "There are flesh eating zombies out here and I almost get taken out by a bear."

"There's a lot of wildlife out this way."

"Have you lived here your whole life?"

Rosalie shook her head, "I moved here about ten years ago from New York."

"City girl," Emmett grinned.

She snickered, "No. Rochester." She changed the subject back to his family, "What happened to the rest of your family?"

His grin faded, "I'm not sure." He dug deep in his brain to try to remember. "I was out in the woods with my brother... he screamed first and I don't know if something got him or not."

Rosalie swallowed and felt her face grow serious. Her stomach twisted as he revealed his last clear memories.

"We were hunting," he explained, "My family relied on the two of us to hunt. My parents were older... are older." He shook his head, trying not to speak in the past tense.

"I'm sorry," she said, "Maybe we'll be able to find them."

"We got separated," Emmett told her, "Obviously. We were hunting with some other friends we'd met who lived in the house next to us. When the bear came, we scattered. There were the zombies nearby; a few of them. Nothing we couldn't handle..." He placed a hand on his forehead.

"I didn't mean to-" Rosalie began, but he cut her off.

"It's fine," he said, "I hope they made it."

"Where were you staying? How far?"

"We drove from the neighborhood for about fifteen minutes and then hiked up the mountain for at least a half an hour." He shrugged, "Not far I guess, but we were planning on vacating the area and relocating. The zombies were taking over the streets and yards. There were masses of them we had to tiptoe around." He shook his head, "I hope my brother made it. I hope my parents are safe."

"We can try to find them," Rosalie said, "Carlisle, Esme and Edward... they're great people. We can work together."

Emmett smiled painfully, knowing she was being genuine, though the thought still felt farfetched. "We're in the warzone now. I know things aren't going to be easy."

"Still..." She looked him in the eye, "We'll try."

They stared at each other for a moment before a gave a half smile again, highlighting his dimples. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She noted the sweat on his forehead, "I'm going to go get you some water. Okay?"

Emmett nodded. "Thanks."

She nodded back and headed toward the door.

"Rosalie..." he called.

She stopped and looked back at him. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted you to know that what I said was true."

"What's that?"

He kept his voice serious and looked her in the eye again, "I really did think you were an angel."

Rosalie felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach. She tipped the corner of her mouth up in a smile before heading downstairs.


	22. Allies

Emily sat by the fireplace at the Blacks' house where a large number of people gathered. There were men and women, young and old, all of which seemed to be studying Carlisle as he went through the best possible exam he could give the pregnant woman without the medical technology he was used to.

"I'd say you're at about thirty-six weeks," he told her.

Emily smirked, but quickly let it fade. "You're pretty good," said told him, letting her voice grow solemn, "This Friday will be exactly thirty-six."

Sam stood behind his wife and seemed to be aching for all of the details regarding her pregnancy.

"You've got just a few short weeks, though as you know you could go into labor at any time," Carlisle explained, "I'm sure your doctor has had discussions with you regarding what to look for, and how things will feel in your body."

Emity nodded, "Yes. Contractions and all that..."

He nodded back, "I wish I could provide you with an ultrasound, but unfortunately that's not going to happen."

"We saved every picture the doctor had taken during our visits," Sam told him. "Would you like to see them?"

"That might be of help so we can have an accurate reading of how the baby is positioned, and how likely it'll be that he or she will be born head first."

"She," Emily told him, flashing a genuine smile, "We're having a girl."

Carlisle cleared his throat, "Congratulations."

Sam looked at Emily before hurrying to go get the pictures.

Carlisle looked around the room, feeling an even combination of confident and self-conscious. The elder members of the tribe looked at him with great skepticism. They all stood uniformly with their arms folded in front of their chests. Billy Black, Jacob's father, was the only one with a softer expression. He seemed to appreciate the fact that Carlisle had taken his time to come to the house.

Jacob stood behind his wheel-chair bound father with a hand on each of the handles.

Billy looked to Carlisle, who squatted down next to Emily. "Thank you," he said, and then made a reference to Carlisle saving Jacob's life years before, "Thank you again I should say."

"It's not a problem." He hoped he could be of some help, though knew if the baby was positioned feet first at the time of the birth it could lead to serious complications. Carlisle would never tell Emily that, though suspected she knew the basics of what it took to perform a C-section.

Sam returned with the photographs of their unborn child and handed them to Carlisle. "Here, this is all we got."

Carlisle took a moment to look through the pictures, noting the baby's size and position. He knew only time would really tell the fate of the mother and child, but he intended to try to gain as much knowledge about the pregnancy as possible.

Emily's eyes were locked on the doctor. She was relieved to have found someone who was experienced in the medical field, yet the thought of pregnancy in the apocalyptic world they know lived in seemed terrifying in every way.

She ran her hands over her stomach and felt the baby twitch or kick, making her wince and grin at the same time.

"Looks like she's ready to pop out of there," Paul Lahote, and a close friend of the two of them stated. He stood a few feet behind Sam and smiled wide as he tried to make light of the situation. The elders, however, found no humor in his tone and simply stared with hard eyes in his direction.

Jacob shook his head, but tipped his mouth up in a smile as he glanced over at his friend.

Other young members of the tribe tried not to laugh. Embry Call, Jared Cameron and Quil Ateara all stood in a tight group looking on to Paul's right.

Sam didn't look amused. He had nothing but concern on his face, despite the fact that they had hit the jackpot by finding a doctor living right down the street.

"How are you feeling overall?" Carlisle asked.

"I feel good," Emily told him, "Just a little discomfort when she moves around in here." She smiled, "But good."

"Good," he said, "Everything appears to be normal on the surface. You're due in approximately one month. I can come over regularly to check in on you."

"And you'll be able to deliver the baby?" Sam asked.

Carlisle turned to meet his stare. "I'll be here for both of you." He recognized that Sam's expression still waited for a yes or no answer. "Yes, I'll deliver the baby for you."

There was a brief silence before Emily thanked him. "You have no idea how this changes things for me," she explained, appearing slightly overwhelmed in a positive way. "I've been so scared of doing this without someone; without a doctor."

Carlisle felt for the woman. He knew how difficult life was in general, never mind having to carry and then care for a child. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you and the baby are safe."

"Thank you," she said with a nod. A tear dropped from the corner of her eye and she wiped it away. Sam draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him.

Billy called upon Ephraim, who had been with Jacob and the group who found Edward and Rosalie hunting on their land. The two of them whispered back and forth for a moment, attempting to remain secretively, but drawing a look from everyone in the room.

Emily reached her hand out and touched Carlisle's forearm. "Thank you," she said again, fighting everything to keep from being too emotional.

"You're welcome." He nodded.

Emily looked up at Sam and motioned for him to escort her out of the room.

He read her cue, sensing she was about to cry in both fear and relief, before extending a hand to Carlisle. "Thank you." He reiterated his wife's words.

"You're both very welcome," he told them again.

The group of boys stepped to the side to allow the two of them to leave, before Billy wheeled his chair up to Carlisle.

"You're a good man," he said, "I don't know how long I'm going to last if we have to keep running from these things, whatever they are. But I intend to do the right thing with the time I left. You and your family are welcome to hunt on our land."

"Thank you," Carlisle told him, "We'd really appreciate it."

"Jacob told us of your close call last night," Billy went on, "I don't want to see anything happen to you, your wife or family. Our land is your land."

"Great," he said, "Thank you again, you didn't have to do that."

"Well you don't have to do this for us either. And I haven't forgotten that you saved Jacob's life. I'm sorry there was a misunderstanding that put your life in jeopardy."

"It was nobody's fault," Carlisle assured him, "And now I suppose we're even because Jacob and Sam not only saved my life, but my wife's."

Billy glanced over his shoulder at his son, and then held a hand out. "Here's to being even, then I suppose."

Carlisle shook his hand and nodded, "We've got some supplies. Esme, my wife, she had anticipated things were going to go bad from the news and packed a bunch of things. We have limited medicine and a few other things that may be helpful."

"Thank you."

Carlisle looked around at everyone as they continued to stare at him. "Well, I'll be in touch," he said, "If there's an emergency, please don't hesitate to come by the house. Sam also left us a handheld radio that operates with the ones you have here."

"We'll certainly be in touch soon," Billy said, "Maybe you could come by in a few days again to check on Emily."

"Of course."

The two of them shared another handshake before Billy asked Jacob and a few of the other boys to drive him home.

Carlisle left the house feeling as though they had allies. They had the numbers and the strength. It seemed the icing on the cake was that they appeared honest. In the world nowadays, he knew that was a trait that was hard to come by. All in all, he considered the visit to be a success. Emily appeared healthy and her pregnancy thus far was normal. Their two groups had mended whatever miscommunication or distrust that had put a wedge between them. Despite only being away from an hour or so, Carlisle was ready to get back to the company of his family.


	23. Jail Break

Alice Brandon walked slowly down the hall of the dimly lit hospital corridor. The ungodly smell of the walking dead filled her nostrils. There was nothing worse, and nothing had gotten her used to the scent that had completely taken over the place where she still remained in captivity.

Times had changed, yet aside from an outbreak weeks before, the mental hospital remained untouched. Alice had begun to feel eternal doom set in, as she felt like she may have been destined to spend her remaining time locked up in the awful place she had been forced to call home.

There was one thing that kept her going; it kept her alive. The thought of Jasper Whitlock, the love of her life and the man who swore it was his mission to break her out of the miserable existance she had been thrown into, was Alice's motivation. She had seen him out beyond the gates attempting to rescue her, and had been taken away beyond his will. For a time, she feared he might be dead, though the day before she had sworn she saw him again from her window.

Alice didn't care if she was daydreaming, or seeing things. She needed to get out. She needed to break free. Most of all, she needed to see him again.

"Ms. Brandon," a voice called from behind her.

Alice stopped, feeling annoyed and spun around with a cheery smile. "Yes Miss Walsh?"

"Where do you think you're going?" the bold, brawny nurse asked. She glared at Alice and held a clipboard.

"For a walk." Her answer was simple and to the point.

"It's not time for that."

_The world is burning to ashes and you're telling me I can't go for a walk? Is anyone really in charge anymore?_

"You're right," Alice said, simply to comply so she could bide her time to create the perfect plan. "I'll go back to my room."

"That's probably your best bet." The woman's words were demanding and cold. She hadn't been overly kind to Alice during her short stay in the hospital that she had been forced into by her family. By some odd miracle the undead had not managed to take the hospital out completely. Wings were shut off where some were trapped, though a majority of the place was still livable and as functional as possible.

Alice had to know what was going on out in the world. She had no knowledge of what was taking place beyond the fences. She'd seen the walking dead flesh-eaters all over the grounds outside. There were explosions in the distance and smoke and riots. Still, Alice found the risk of joining the madness worth it if it meant escaping her current surroundings.

She rounded back into her room and laid down in the center of her stiff, uncomfortable bed. There was a fear in the pit of her stomach that she would never see Jasper again and eventually forget all of the things she knew so well about him; his Texas accent, his shaggy blond hair, the features of his face... everything.

Alice sighed and looked toward the window where the world was a mixture of different tones of gray. It was depressing; sad. She felt like leaping out the five story window, despite the consequences just to see if she would make it. Even if the thought was a serious thought, which it wasn't, the windows were double layered and virtually unbreakable.

The sound of footsteps clicking over the plain, white tile in the hallway rang through the entire wing. Alice sat up straight, having recognized the familiar click-click of the police boots that regularly roamed the hospital grounds.

"Is this who they sent you to get?" Miss Walsh's voice could be heard just a step or two outside of the door as she escorted someone toward Alice's room.

She closed her eyes, knowing she was likely in trouble for 'wandering' the halls. Whenever the police were involved it seemed as though they found a reason to show more force than they needed to. From Alice's experiences, the police at the mental hospital were far different than the regular town police. They were disrespectful and power-hungry, and often enjoyed handing out a good beating whenever given the chance.

"Miss Brandon," the nurse's voice called him.

Alice didn't want to open her eyes. She knew she would be in for a long night and possibly locked in a dark cell for the night with no heat. It had happened before, and she wouldn't doubt that it would happen again, even in the apocalypse.

"Miss Brandon..." Her voice rang out again with less patience and Alice's eyes flickered open.

She looked up at the officer standing next to her and almost shrieked in delight, and cried from happiness at the same time.

"I'll take it from here," the man said in a stern voice, all the while subtly winking at Alice without the overbearing nurse seeing him.

Miss Walsh stared at Alice for another moment before smiling at the man she assumed was there to punish her for something she'd done.

"Let us know if there's anything we can do officer," she said to him. There was a brief moment of silence before she marched away and disappeared to another wing of the hospital.

Alice let a smile spread across her face and the man stepped in, closing the door behind him for a moment.

"Jasper..." she whispered, and threw her arms around him. A long sigh left her mouth as he hugged her tightly against him.

Alice began to weep, unable to even attempt to control it and held onto him as if she was afraid he would disappear if they separated.

"Shh..." he stroked her back, "I'm going to get you out of here," he replied.

She breathed in heavily, wanting to ask a million questions but all she cared about at that moment was that they were back together. He had managed a plan of his own to rescue her from the hell she was in.

Jasper pulled back and dried her eyes with his thumb. "We have to get out of here," he whispered, "You'll need to follow my lead."

Alice nodded, "How did you-"

"I'll tell you everything later," he whispered again, "There's a back stairwell. I've spent the last couple hours 'making my rounds' to get familiar with the building."

Alice's eyes studied his face, and she could see he was attempting to keep her focused on the task. He was good at keeping her calm and getting the job done, whatever the case may be.

"Stay strong for me," he went on, touching the side of her face gently with his hand. "If this all pans out the way I've planned it in my head, we'll be out in the woods, just the two of us, in ten minutes."

_Ten minutes_, she thought, _I can hold it together for ten minutes._

Jasper looked her directly in the eye and Alice wiped a stray tear away and nodded. "Let's get out of here."

He smiled and winked again before kissed her once on the lips. "I'm going to pretend to drag you by the arm. Resist me and fight but don't get away. We're going to take a left out of here toward that back staircase I told you about. It leads to the basement and there's a small window that leads out the back. It's really small, but we'll fit. The woods are less than fifty yards away."

"What about the fence?" Alice asked him.

"I've spent my nights digging out the bottom of the far corner back there. There's a hole big enough for us to crawl under. It's subtle. No one knows it's there. We'll crawl under the fence and we're free."

"You've spent your nights out there doing that?"

Jasper nodded. "I had to get my girl."

"How bad is it out there?"

His expression hardened. "Bad," he admitted, "But we'll make it together."

Alice sighed and nodded.

"I'm taking you to solitary confinement in the basement," Jasper told her again, half-smirking as he was obviously not serious. "So fight back... and make it look good."

She managed a small smile and let her happy tears flow freely, knowing she could easily pass them off as anger and sorrow.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

Jasper flung open the door and grabbed Alice's arm with one hand. "Don't make me cuff you!" he bellowed, making sure his voice echoed through the halls.

"Don't touch me!" She shrieked back, pretending to struggle.

Several patients stuck their heads out of their rooms from the commotion, and Miss Walsh paraded down toward where they walked.

Jasper flashed her an angered expression upon hearing her hurried footsteps coming up toward them. "I'm taking her to solitary," he said, "She tells me that we have no authority over her and that she can wander the halls as she pleases. She was stealing food from the cafeteria."

"Alice!" the woman called, "Officer, leave her down there for as many days as you'd like. She's been warned. She knows the consequences of her actions."

"How's a week sound?" Jasper asked, looking at Alice, who continued to pretend to fight him.

"Nothing I haven't done before," she told him arrogantly, spitting on the floor to add to the image.

Jasper turned to face the nurse, "Do you want me to have her wash the floor with a toothbrush after her week in confinement?"

The woman smirked, "That would be lovely."

He scowled at Alice again, trying not to smile as he did so before roughly kicking open the door to the back staircase.

Alice continued to holler as the nurse watched them go with a satisfied look on her face.

Jasper quickly grabbed her hand and the two of them rushed down the several flights of stairs in the darkness.

Alice felt butterflies flooding her stomach as they ran, knowing they were so close to the freedom she desired, yet still so far from attaining that feeling. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she couldn't help it.

When they hit the bottom floor, the horrible memories of solitary confinement rushed into Alice's brain. The smells, the images, the echoes... all of it brought her back to the short amount of time she'd spent in the back room on the lowest floor of the hospital.

A single, low growl echoed off the basement walls and Alice latched on to Jasper's arm. "Is that...?" she couldn't finish her sentence.

Jasper's eyes searched the darkness as he struggled to see what was in the distance.

Without warning, a walker lunged in their direction, causing Alice to scream.

Jasper positioned himself in front of her, holding off the mass of rotting flesh before he reached for the nightstick and crashed it repeatedly over it's head. Just a few seconds later, the walker laid on the ground unmoving, while Jasper huffed and puffed.

Alice stood wide-eyed at the ground, immediately identifying the person that it used to be.

"Jenny..." her voice trailed off, "How did she become a zombie?"

Jasper looked at Alice, who made eye contact with him and latched back onto his hand.

"Who's down here?" A booming voice called from above in one of the staircases they'd just come down.

"Shit..." Alice looked at Jasper and he towed her toward the back where the window was that he was talking about.

"Somebody's in the basement!" the same voice called from above. A collection of running, stomping feet pounded on the stairs above where they were.

"Can we hide?" she asked.

"No," he said, "They'll find us. We have to make it out that window."

_It's really small_, she thought, but didn't hesitate.

Jasper hoisted Alice's tiny body up onto a rickety, old desk that he'd previously positioned in front of the window so they could get out.

Voices began to echo on the basement and Jasper saw the beams of flashlights as a number of men emerged from all directions.

"Go!" he urged, "Alice..."

"I'm trying," she huffed, struggling to push her body through the small space.

Alice engulfed the fresh air and she finally felt freedom as her nails pulled on the green grass in the back of the hospital.

_Freedom._ She relished in it for no longer than one second before flipping around so she faced the window.

Jasper looked back at the guards rushing toward him and struggled to push himself through the small space. He grunted and grinded his teeth, using all of his strength to make it.

"Jas, hurry!" Alice said frantically.

His hips pushed through the window sill and he felt relieved, though Alice screamed again when she saw a hand clamp down on Jasper's calf.

Jasper cried out for a moment before kicking back as hard as he could with his boot.

Alice crouched down and pulled him, using whatever strength she had to help get him out.

A loud crash filled the air and Jasper managed to get his entire body free, scampering to his feet immediately without looking back.

"Let's get the hell out of here," he said, feeling the determination in his core rising.

Alice sprinted, following his lead to where the open spot in the fence was. She felt her heart racing and suppressed a scream as they dodged random walkers who lunged in their direction.

"They're not fast when there's only one or two of them," Jasper said, in between breaths, "Just weave in and out with me."

Alice did as he suggested and found it rather easy. She looked over her shoulder once and saw on of the guards running after them.

"Don't look back, Alice," Jasper demanded, "We're almost there."

"He's gaining on us."

"Run," he instructed again, pointing a finger straight out ahead of them, "Run there!"

"Shoot them!" a man called from behind, "Shoot!"

The sound of a gun firing filled the air and Alice put her hands to block her head as a reaction. She then saw the hole that Jasper had been talking about and suddenly knew they had to reach it.

"Slide under it," he called, sprinting full speed next to her, "Go now!"

Alice didn't hesitate. She took a final deep breath and did as he suggested, sliding on her back, kicking dirty up as she went. The feel of the fence as she pulled herself under it was tight and uncomfortable, though she fit despite the digging of the metal in her chest and torso.

Jasper slid next to her, attempting to lift the fence as much as he could as he shimmied beneath the sharp, bottom links.

Alice screamed as the guard who was commanding his fellow officer to shoot them reached the fence, yanking at her shoulders.

"Jasper!" she cried.

He stood up, now completely on the other side of the fence and was about to reach for her legs when he realized the weapon he had on the bucket of his belt.

Jasper reached for the gun and pointed it directly at the man. "Let her go."

"You won't," he dared him, "You're free. The girl stays."

"Go to hell," Jasper said, "Let her go."

The man smirked and commanded his partner-in-crime again, "Shoot them!"

Alice continued to scream for her life and Jasper knew there was only one thing he could do. Without another thought he aimed the gun at the man's chest and pulled the trigger.

Alice felt the man's hand release her and she wiggled the rest of the way out, not initially noting that Jasper had shot the murderous guard. She rushed to his arms again, before looking down at the blood that had been spilled.

"Let's go," he said, "Alice, I'm sorry-"

"I love you," she told him, "I love you."

Jasper looked her in the eye again, before he pulled her away from the misery of the mental hospital and away with him into the woods.


	24. One Round

Jacob dropped off Carlisle in front of the house and remained as stern faced as ever. Since they'd all met hadn't cracked even the smallest smile.

"Thank you, Jacob," Carlisle said genuinely, reaching his hand across the way.

Jacob shook his hand and nodded. "So, tell me doc... is this a death sentence for Emily?"

Carlisle was caught off guard, "A death sentence?" He paused, "No."

"So there's a good chance she'll have the baby with no life threatening consequences?" His voice was skeptical.

"I can't predict the positioning of the baby on the day she gives birth, but that will determine a lot. There's a good chance that she'll be okay."

"And there's a good chance that she won't?" Jacob asked, attempting to finish his sentence.

Carlisle sighed, "Jacob," he said, "I do believe things will be okay. Emily appears healthy, everything is on track. With childbirth there are always risks, particularly in this world, but at this time I have no reason to think negatively."

He paused for a moment and nodded. "Gotcha."

"Thank you for the ride," Carlisle told him, "Be in touch."

"Yup."

He exited the vehicle and looked around before jogging up to the door of the house.

Jacob waited until he saw Carlisle enter through the front door before he took off back toward his home.

James watched the large truck take off down the street and looked to Victoria from where they stood in the shadows of the trees.

"Who do you think these people are?" he asked, "Do you think they have supplies?"

"It sure seems like it."

"The problem is we don't know how many of them there are," James explained, "There could be five, there could be fifteen."

Victoria turned to him, "We'll have to keep watch on the area over the next few days." She scoffed, "I'm sick of living in a cave."

"They look awfully cozy in there," he commented, noting a light that was on from the generator.

"It's too bad the house down the street is loaded with those monsters." Victoria turned her head, "We could have made that our temporary home."

A gun shot rang through the air and both James and Victoria jumped. They made eye contact and it was obvious that James was angry from his facial expression.

He marched through the woods toward where he knew Laurant had been attempting to find food, despite James's wishes that they remain low key for the time being.

Victoria looked over her shoulder and saw the front door open just slightly from the home they were watching. She hurried behind James as he marched through the woods to tell off Laurant for breaking the rule he had set.

"Laurant!" he called, prompting a _shh_ sound from Victoria.

James turned to look over his shoulder and glared at her, not knowing that they weren't the only two to hear the gunshot.

"Laurant!" he called again.

Deeper into the woods, the third member of their group squatted with a rifle extended in the opposite direction that they had walked from.

"What did I say about firing that thnig off?" James asked, "There are others nearby. We can't let them know of our location."

"There was a massive buck," Laurant said angrily, "We're running out of food. It could have fed us for a week."

"I don't care!"

"Well I do." He stood up and closed the gap between the two of them, causing James to do the same.

Victoria eyed the gun that now hung at Laurant's side in his right hand and placed a soothing hand on James's shoulder. "Enough," she said calmly to both of them. "Laurant, we need to keep a low profile around here. There are others occupying the areas nearby and we don't know what they're like." She turned to James, "But we should find a place to stay where we _can_ hunt. Our food supply is low."

"There are vacant homes down the road it seems," Laurant told them, "Why don't we head there."

"What like the one we found with the chompers in there just ready to tear us apart?" James asked, shaking his head, "Are you that fucking stupid?"

"James..." Victoria lowered her voice, only for the sake of husband's safety. She didn't think Laurant would do anything rash, though she didn't completely rule it out. "Let's just stick together. We need shelter."

He continued to look Laurant in the eye for a moment before switching his gaze to her. "Fine," he agreed, and the looked at Laurant again, "Don't fire that thing off again until I say so."

"Until you say so..."

"Until I say so."

There was a second staredown and some words under the breath, though each of them backed down when James turned his back to lead them away from where they currently stood.

He looked back to Victoria, "Not to sound like a broken record or anything but... that house back there sure looked cozy."

"That was a gunshot," Esme said, sitting down at the kitchen table. She looked at Carlisle, as he finally slumped into the seat across from her to relax after his appearance down the road at the Blacks' house.

"The Quileutes may be out hunting," he said with a shrug, not overly concerned.

Esme nodded, "Yeah. It's hard not to get jumpy, though. Ya know?"

Carlisle reached across the table and placed a hand on hers. "I know."

Rosalie knocked on the door frame as she entered, "Someone's awake."

Emmett slowly crossed into the kitchen and gave a small wave. He looked tired, as if he'd been in a coma for months, but managed a half smile.

"Hello," he said, clearing his throat as he did.

Carlisle stood up, "How do you feel?"

"I'm okay," he told him and then held a hand out, "I would hug you, but it might hurt my ribs. I just wanted to say thank you for saving my life. I don't think I could ever repay you for that."

Carlisle shook his head, "You don't have to thank me. It's my job."

"Well, you didn't have to," Emmett went on, "I really appreciate it. I'm sorry if I held any of you back from... anything."

"You didn't," Esme and Rosalie said at the same time. They looked at each other and shared a smile.

"Um, I don't have any place to go really," the young man told them. "Where I was with my family..." He shook his head, "We were just hunting over here. I don't even know how I would get back... especially alone."

"You can stay with us," Esme told him, "As long as you'd like."

Rosalie nodded, "They're good people. They rescued me too."

Emmett looked at her and studied the bruises on her face. He wanted to dig for details but refrained as he didn't want to offend Rosalie.

"I'll show you around," Esme offered.

"I can hunt, "Ememtt said. He looked at them, "If that can be my contribution-"

"You don't owe us anything," she said with a smile, cutting him off. "Come on."

"You can hunt?" Carlisle asked.

Esme looked at him and he grinned.

"I can hunt," Emmett said again with a wider smile.

Carlisle grinned back, "We'll talk later. "

Esme and Rosalie took the time to show Emmett around, leaving Carlisle alone in the kitchen. He rounded into the living room, seeing Edward napping on the couch, snoring loudly. A smile crossed his face and he glanced out the window through the boards they'd put up.

He felt as if their group had strengthened as Emmett came 'back to life'. His mind began to wander, however, about Esme's concern about the gun shot. Carlisle only hoped that it was, indeed, the Quileute tribe that had fired off the round.


	25. Uniting

Charlie Swan fired off a round of shots from the revolver pistol he was carrying.

"Bells, get in the car!" he called, letting just a hint of fear shine through his calm exterior.

"Dad, there are too many!" Bella Swan looked around the area, fearing for her father's life. "_You_ need to get in... now!"

Charlie continued on his mission, emptying the gun completely before ducking into the driver's seat of his police cruiser. "Buckle up." He glanced at Bella briefly and gunned the engine. "We're going to have to drive through them."

She swallowed hard, acknowledging how close they could be to death for the first time since the apocolypse had begun.

_Maybe this is it_, she thought. _Who know's if anyone's still alive._

Charlie hit the gas and Bella's back slammed against her seat. She suddenly felt frozen in place, as she swallowed hard and struggled to maintain her composure the way her father was. For whatever reason, her mother's face popped into her mind and Bella knew that she might never see her again. Was she still alive? Were there even zombies down in Arizona?

_What a week to move to Forks_, she thought.

A zombie crashed into the windshield, making her scream as she was suddenly pulled away from her thoughts.

"Hang on, kid, I'm going to get us out of here," Charlie told her, sounding awfully confident despite the intense nature of the situation.

Bella couldn't speak. She knew if she tried it would come out in the form of hysteria, and so she remained silent, taking in their surroundings.

_This is bad. This is bad. _The phrase rolled over in her mind like a song on repeat.

Charlie pressed the pedal to the floor, plowing through three zombies at once before he caught his breath and looked at the clear road in front of them.

Bella whipped her body around, taken out of the temporary paralysis she had been in and stared at the walkers that had managed to swarm their house. She'd heard about the bloodshed and the danger, though until that night she and her father had remained unscathed at their secluded home by the edge of the woods. Now, she didn't know what they would do. They had nothing but the clothes on their backs.

"Yes!" Charlie screamed with a dry enthusiasm. He glanced in the rearview mirror and a type of mad laughter escaped his through. "Yes! Bells, we made it!"

Bella nodded, unable to find the same level of enthusiasm, though she assumed it was her father's adrenaline that was now kicking in.

His hand crashed onto the steering wheel and he slumped back into his seat, running a hand through his hair. A moment later, his elated expression faded and his face became pale and stern again.

Bella closed her eyes and took a moment to decompress. She didn't know where they were going, what they were doing or if anyone they knew was still alive.

"Dad..." she finally felt secure enough to speak, "Where... where are we going to go?"

Charlie didn't speak for a moment. He glanced out at the open road, taking an extra look at a flipped over car on the side of the backwoods highway. His eyes shifted toward a brown sign with white writing, naming that the Quileute Reservation was ten miles away.

"Billy..." he spoke to himself.

Bella glanced over at her father. "Huh?"

Charlie cleared his throat and pointed toward the sign as their car whizzed by it. "We'll head to the Reservation."

"Why?" Bella asked, curious not skeptical. "Who's there?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "But Billy Black is a good friend of mine." He thought of his wheelchair-bound friend and wondered if he would have even had a shot at surviving the conditions. "We'll see if they're okay."

"Black?" Bella asked, "Like Jacob Black?"

Charlie turned to her, "You remember Jacob?"

She nodded, "Um, yeah... yeah from when we were kids." A part of her suddenly felt a twinge of hope. "Do you think they're alive?"

"I hope so." His foot hit the gas a little harder and Bella pointed up the road.

"Look out for that one," she said, too calmly for her own liking.

Charlie swerved as they approached the blood-dripping monster. It reached its arms out toward the vehicle and Bella swallowed hard as she looked into its soulless eyes as they passed.

She suddenly felt bad for it. She didn't know exactly why, though she acknowledged that it had been completely unfair that the person had been stripped of his humanity. There was nothing left but rotting flesh and bone.

Charlie nudged Bella with his elbow, "I think they're alive, kid."

She looked at her father and nodded silently. "We almost weren't."

He paused, "But we are."

"Yeah..." Her eyes drifted out the passenger window. _What's left?_ she wondered, quickly answering her question with, _nothing_.

"You got me," Charlie said solemnly as if he was reading her thoughts, "I'll never let anything happen to you. I'll die keeping you alive, Bella."

She glanced at her father, suddenly frightened by his words. She suddenly wanted to take her previous thought back. He was right. She did have him, and Bella knew that she would also die trying to save Charlie.

"You got me, too, Dad."

Charlie turned to her for a moment as they drove and then nodded and continued the drive in silence.

"What about Mom?" Bella asked him, "Do you think..." Her voice trailed off.

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "I tried phoning down there when this first started. Our call was interrupted because the power in all of Forks was shut down."

She paused before responding quietly. "I hope she's okay."

Charlie swallowed. "Me too."

Bella sighed and leaned an elbow against the door, staring blankly out the window as the miles rolled on with nothing but trees, blood and the undead roaming the streets with no purpose to their lives other than to kill and destroy.

Charlie was just as silent. It was the longest drive of their lives as they awaited what longed for them on the reservation. Questions rang through both of their minds: Were Billy and Jacob alive? Did they have any type of shelter? What would come of their lives now?

The drive seemed to take forever, but their tension rose as they crossed onto Quileute territory.

Bella sat up straight and Charlie's hands tightened on the wheel.

He cleared his throat, "It's just up here on the left," he said, "There's a red house with an old, orange truck out front." He mumbled the next line under his breath, "I hope it's still standing."

Bella eyed her father, now even sicker with worry as she saw a pair of zombies in the front yard of the red house in the distance. She began to think the worst until a man emerged from the front of the house with a gun and ended both of them.

"Oh my gosh..." she put a hand over her mouth. "Who-"

Charlie smiled and gave a short laugh. He glanced at Bella. "That's Jacob." He pushed the pedal harder to get the rest of the way to the house in the shortest time possible.

"_That's_ Jacob?" Bella asked.

The young man waved as they approached, sporting nothing but a pair of jean shorts and Bella couldn't believe her eyes. The boy she had known growing up was long gone. His hair had been cut short and he was well over six feet tall with muscles to match.

Charlie pulled his car into the driveway and Jacob immediately approached him. The two of them shared a long hug, the result of being thankful to see one another alive.

"Is your father alright?" Charlie asked immediately.

"Yes. He's inside," Jacob explained. His eyes drifted to meet Bella's. "Bella?"

She nodded and looked down. "Yeah."

Jacob walked up to her fast and quickly wrapped her in his arms in a hug as tight as Charlie's. "You're here... you're okay?"

"Yes." Bella hugged him back, feeling a sense of warmth from the contact.

"Come inside," Jacob told both of them, breaking the hug only to get inside to safety. He looked back and forth between the two of them before a slow smile spread across his face. "It's good to see familiar faces. I'm glad you're both alive."


	26. A Stranger's Plea

"Do you guys have any guns?" Emmett asked, toying with the crossbow on the kitchen table.

"No," Carlisle explained, "But the Quileute members do."

Emmett raised his eyes to him, "We should try to join forces. The bigger numbers the better." He glanced toward everyone else, "Have you been subject to thieves or anything worse?"

Esme and Rosalie looked at each other while Edward answered, "No."

"Our family was," he explained, "To be honest the people were becoming more of a threat than the, what do you call them, walkers?"

"People attacked your family?" Esme asked him.

Emmett nodded, "They picked the wrong family to mess with." A half-smile crossed his face but faded quickly, "Between my brothers and myself they were nuts to try to compete with us. We roughed them up a little and sent them on their way, but they came back with more supplies and armed with things we couldn't compete with."

"So what happened?" Rosalie asked him.

Emmett looked at her, "They took what they wanted. Hit my brother in the cheek with the butt of the gun and left." He shrugged, "Look all I'm saying is to be careful. There are bad people out there."

"I know." Rosalie put a hand on her cheek, "My boyfriend and his friends beat the hell out of me and left me to die. They thought I was dead weight; didn't want to split food five ways..." She shook her head, "You're lucky you found Carlisle and Esme... and Edward."

Edward glanced at her and saw the smirk on her face despite the serious nature of the conversation. He managed a grin and looked at Emmett.

"So... you two aren't a couple then?" he asked.

Rosalie and Edward looked at each other and both of them began to laugh.

"No..." Edward said immediately, putting his hands up.

"Not at all," Rosalie reiterated.

Carlisle looked at Esme and she put her hand over her mouth as she smiled. He grinned too and squeezed her knee with his hand.

"We need guns," Emmett said again, "And we should join forces with the tribe members, especially if they have supplies."

Rosalie looked at a calendar on the wall that she had been keeping up with. Emmett's eyes followed hers and saw the "X's" as each date passed.

"Tomorrow's Thanksgiving," he said, sounding it more like a question than a statement.

Rosalie nodded and Esme smiled.

"I didn't realize," she said, looking at Rosalie. "We should do something."

"We should go old school and share a big dinner with the Quileutes," Emmett said, "Establish a type of comradery over some venison..." he eyed a box of cereal on the counter, "And dry Chex Mix."

Esme snickered at his comment, but nodded. "You're right," she said, "I think that would be a great idea. The boys that came here seemed grateful for your help, Carlisle."

He saw the elated look on her face, and noted that it had been a long time since he'd seen her so excited about something.

"We could radio them and propose it," he said with a shrug. "If they'd like to."

"Talk to Sam," Edward suggested, "He seems to be the most open to those types of things. And since you're helping his wife then maybe he'll be the easiest to come around."

"I think we need something positive like this," Esme added, "It's been nothing but survival, and bloodshed and killing these things..."

"It would be a nice break from reality," Emmett went on. "And the more numbers we have on our side the better."

There was a silence that fell over them before Carlisle spoke.

"I'll talk with Sam," he said, "I don't see a reason why they wouldn't enjoy something like that. It would probably be to our benefit if we were the ones to bring the deer meat to them."

Emmett stood up where he sat, "I'll catch us a few. I normally use a rifle, but I'm no stranger to a crossbow."

"You should rest," Rosalie told him.

Emmett lifted his shirt, revealing his wound, "This is nothing anymore."

"It looks..." she made a face, noting the gruesome nature of the stitches.

"I've had worse playing football," he said, trying to downplay it. "I need to get outside. I want to hunt... contribute."

Carlisle looked at him, "You could pop the stitches if you're too active too quickly."

"It doesn't take much to pull a trigger, doc." Emmett smiled wide and flashed a wink in Rosalie's direction.

She smiled, unable to keep herself from doing so. She knew if Edward had done the same thing she would have rolled her eyes at him. Emmett, however, made her swoon every time his dimples shined through when he smiled.

Edward glanced at her and gave her a look, smiling to himself as he turned the other way.

"Alright," Carlisle said, convinced by his attitude, "If you think you're ready, then who am I to stop you. We can go hunt."

"You shouldn't put yourself in harms way out there," Emmett told him, "You're a doctor, maybe one of the only ones left. You shouldn't risk your life out in the woods."

He shrugged, but Emmett went on.

"Honestly, we need you. If I die, yeah it would suck," he laughed, "But any of you could learn to hunt. No one knows all the... medical shit that you do."

Carlisle began to laugh and shook his head.

"He's right," Edward added, "You shouldn't risk going out hunting. Emily needs you now, and Emmett did before. If not for you their lives would have been in grave danger. I'm sure your talents will be needed in the future, too."

"The two of us can go," Emmett said, looking at his other male counterpart, "You cool with that Edward?"

He nodded.

"Your lives are just as important," Esme said, not downplaying Carlisle's role in their group dynamic. While she was somewhat relieved to hear that they didn't want him out in the woods, she was just as anxious to have Edward prowling around looking for deer when there were herds of walkers and even worse people, according to Emmett. On top of it, she had grown a great liking to Emmett's contagious, happy personality. She felt he was a great addition to their group and had grown fond enough of him to truly care for his safety, as well.

"Mama bear," Emmett said with a grin, "We'll be just fine."

She wanted to protest, but could only smile. It was like a trance he was capable of putting them all in.

"Come on, Edward. Want to be my wingman out there?"

He nodded, enjoying the brotherly companionship. "Yeah."

"I'll call Sam," Carlisle said, reaching for the radio.

They were all in good spirits, and Emmett was mostly credited for that. His go-getter attitude was contagious and everyone agreed to his plans.

"Let me get you guys something warm to wear out there," Esme said, crossing through the kitchen toward the stairwell. She smiled to herself, about to take the stairs up, one by one, when she heard a faint jingling sound. Her eyes dropped toward the handle on the front door and she felt an anxiousness rise in her chest.

"Carlisle!" she whispered, waving her hand in his direction.

He hurried to her side from the kitchen, followed by everyone else.

The door knob twisted and turned, as whoever was on the other side was attempting to get in.

"Walkers?" Rosalie asked in a whisper.

"I doubt it," Carlisle said, "They aren't smart enough."

A jolt at the door as it was attempted to get pushed open made everyone step back.

"Who is it?" Rosalie called, drawing a look from everyone else.

"Quileutes?" Edward asked, looking at Carlisle.

"I don't know," he responded.

"Hello?" a female voice called.

"Who is it?" Rosalie asked again.

"We... we have supplies. Let us in... please?"

Everyone looked around at one another.

Edward rushed toward the window and peered between the boards, seeing only the back half of two people standing on the front porch.

"Who is it?" Carlisle whispered.

"Two people," he explained, "I can't see their faces but they don't look familiar. A man and a woman."

"Please..." the woman's voice was desperate. "We've been through a lot... we need help."

Carlisle looked at Esme and closed his eyes, feeling his compassion get the best of him.

"Carlisle, I wouldn't..." Emmett started, shaking his head and putting a hand on the door.

"You needed help once, too," he reminded him.

Emmett nodded and removed his hand, allowing Carlisle to do as he intended.

Everyone took a deep breath and prepared themselves for the strangers that lingered on the other side of the door.


	27. The Soldier and the Pixie

A young man and woman stood at the door, both looking ragged and tired. Their clothes were torn, their hair a mess and there was enough walker blood on both of them to almost make them blend in with the undead.

The woman looked relieved, and had to catch her breath in order to speak.

"Can we please come in?" was all she could manage.

Everyone looked around at one another. Carlisle and Emmett eyed the pair of guns on the young man's hip.

"Who are you?" Carlisle asked, "Where are you coming from?"

"Who's blood is that?" Emmett asked.

"The undead's..." The young woman explained, "We've been on the run... We're hungry... thirsty..." A tear formed in the corner of her eye, "Desperate."

Esme made eye contact with Carlisle and he stood to the side and waved them in. As the man crossed through the doorway Carlisle stopped him.

"Would you mind placing the guns on the coffee table?" He nodded toward the visible living room set.

The man turned his head in the direction Carlisle was speaking of and stared back at him without speaking right away.

There was a tense silence before the stranger nodded and cleared his throat to speak. "I'll put 'em down if I get 'em back. They're mine."

Carlisle nodded, "We're not trying to strip you of your possessions. We just want to be sure of our own safety."

"Understood." The man nodded once and walked into the other room, removing the guns and a few concealed knives from under his shirt.

"We've got nothing," he spoke again, returning to Carlisle's side. "No other weapons, no food, nothing but the shirts in our backs."

Esme brought a blanket in from one of the closets. "Here." She wrapped around the woman's shoulders and then looked to the man.

"I'm fine, ma'am." He put a hand up and nodded appreciatively.

Emmett looked at the young couple skeptically and stood with his arms folded.

"I'm Carlisle," Carlisle told them, initiating the introductions. "This is my wife Esme, my nephew Edward, Rosalie and Emmett."

"I'm Jasper Hale." He held a hand out and shook Carlisle's hand firmly, looking him in the eye.

"I'm Alice," the young pixieish woman told them.

"You've got to get something to eat," Esme said as she made her way to the sink to get them glasses of water to start with, "You look like you haven't eaten in weeks."

"It's been days," Jasper explained, guzzling the water that Esme had handed him. He let out a sigh of approval before she quickly took his glass to refill it.

"Thank you ma'am." Jasper nodded again and looked at Alice.

"Are you, like, in the Marines or something?" Emmett asked, noting Jasper's stiff posture, constant eye contact and respectful dialect.

"Army," he explained, "Had to travel hundreds of miles from the base I was stationed at to get back here after things went south."

"Travel hundreds of miles for what?" Rosalie asked him.

Jasper turned the corner of his mouth up in a smile, "To find my love..." He turned his head, "Alice."

Esme felt her heart melt from the boy's words. She sighed to herself as Rosalie continued to ask questions.

"Did you travel by foot?" She asked.

"Foot, car, motorcycle took me in the rest of the way."

"And you both made it," Esme concluded, "Both remained alive."

"I knew Jasper would come for me," Alice said with a all grin. Her voice got slightly playful, "I almost thought he wasn't coming."

"Well, I'm sorry to keep you waiting, my lady." He smirked at her and they shared a moment of eye contact as if they were continuing the conversation telepathically. Jasper them turned back to face Carlisle.

"We don't want to be a burden," he explained, "But if you could be so kind as to allow us a good night's sleep and possibly s little food, it would be much appreciated."

Esme handed Alice a bag of stale chips they had all been fighting over and a nearly empty jar of peanut butter to start.

"Of course you can stay," she told them, drawing a nod from Carlisle.

"There's obvious a lot of..." Carlisle struggled for the right word without being insulting, "Distrust in society now-a-days."

"We'll do anything," Alice intervened, knowing where he was going with the thought, "We're good people. We aren't here to take what's yours, or to harm you in any way."

"I just know in war it's hard to survive on your own," Jasper said, "We have little ammo... even less supplies. Like I said, if this just happens to be a stepping stone for us, then so be it. We just need a little time to recuperate... if you'll have us."

Carlisle had a good haunch about Alice and Jasper. His initial reading of them told him they were good people. Jasper had willingly laid down the weapons that he been previously concealed to them, and Carlisle knew that they wouldn't have known otherwise that he had them. Alice looked weak, and far too thin to make it far in this world without an adequate food supply. While he knew Jasper knew his way with a gun, he guessed Alice didn't have much experience. Should something happen to Jasper along the way, he had little hope that she would be able to make it on her own.

He extended his hand, and Jasper looked down, returning the gesture immediately.

"We'd be happy to have you stay with us," Carlisle said, "When you wish to leave is up to you, but as long as you don't pose a threat to the rest of us then you're free to stay as long as you'd like."

Alice looked relieved and a little overwhelmed by the acceptance. She felt tears beginning to accumulate in her eyes, but held them back.

"There are clothes here," Esme told them, "We found this house abandoned and whoever used to live here was out in a hurry. They left a majority of their things. There are closets full of clothes."

"And there's hot water," Carlisle added, "If you'd like to take a shower."

"How?" Jasper asked, narrowing his eyebrows.

"Generators," Alice told him. Everyone looked at her, surprised at her little bit of knowledge. "They had them at the hospital."

"What hospital?" Carlisle asked, "Forks?"

She shook her head and didn't acknowledge his first question, "No."

"The reason I ask is because I was a doctor at Forks Hospital. It was overrun when I was there last."

"Why don't you get washed up?" Esme suggested, "Take a shower. The boys were thinking of going to hunt, so maybe we'll have some deer meat to eat some time in the near future. If not, there are still a couple English muffins, oatmeal, pretzels..."

"Sugar packets..." Edward joked without smiling.

"Thank you," Alice said, "Thank you so much."

"Said you're hunting?" Jasper asked, looking at the three men in the room.

"Jasper," Alice said, "You need to rest." She could see he was itching to go back in the woods. It was in his nature.

He looked at her and didn't even put up a little bit of a fight. He smirked and nodded.

"I'll bring down some clean clothes for the two of you," Esme told them, "Just down the hall there's a shower. We've been stocking up on gasoline from all the abandoned cars so hopefully we can make the generator last as long as possible. We turn it off during the day so it stays running for things like this."

"Come on," Rosalie began to head down the hall, "I'll show you where the bathroom is."

Jasper looked around at the group of them and saw Emmett seemingly sizing him up.

"Don't worry about the big fella," Rosalie whispered, attempting to lighten the mood. "He's just a big teddy bear."

Emmett kept his arms folded in front of his chest and bared a smile, "No need to bring bears into this."

Rosalie smirked at him and towed Alice by the hand, "Come on."

Jasper followed close behind and Emmett turned to Edward. "Let's hunt so we can pitch this Thanksgiving ordeal to the boys down the street."


	28. Extending the Family

Emmett trekked the carcass of a dead deer through the backyard and up to the house.

"You think the walkers will trail us back by the smell of this thing?" Edward asked, toying with the crossbow as they walked.

He raised one of the guns that Jasper had allowed him to borrow and fired a shot through the head of a walking corpse that stood between them and the house.

"We'll take it to the garage," Emmett said nonchalantly.

Edward smirked and the two of them made their way to the unattached two-car garage with the deer.

"Jacob should hall this sucker in the back of that pick up," Emmett went on, "That thing is pretty badass."

"Yeah..." He nodded.

"Kill that one." He made a motion with his head at another stray walker that was growling and hobbling in their direction.

Edward removed the machete from his belt and did away with the slow-moving attacker. "They're so easy to get when there's just one or two of them."

"Yeah," Emmett grunted as he dragged the deer the rest of the way and Edward propped the door open, "It's when there's a mass of them that they're hard to get away from."

He nodded and the two of them made their way inside before Emmett found a tarp to put the deer on.

"Ever clean one of these?" he looked at Edward.

"What?"

"Ever clean a deer before?"

Edward shook his head, "No."

Emmett smiled, "I've got it. Feel like going to tell them that we got one?"

"You sure you're okay out here on your own?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Maybe just keep a look out, or come back in a half hour to make sure I'm not getting eaten alive." Emmett continued to grin, making Edward feel at ease.

"Alright. I'll go check in."

Emmett nodded and proceeded to get the skinning started while Edward made his way back to the house.

He walked inside, making everyone within an eye's glance look in his direction.

Alice sat behind Rosalie, braiding her hair and Esme sat Indian style with a cup of tea in front of them. A fire was going in the fireplace and it was apparent that they had been chatting away until Edward had walked through the door.

"What is this, a sleepover?" he asked.

"Where's Emmett?" Rosalie asked him.

"Hello to you too, Rosalie," Edward said, shaking his head. He then answered her question, "He's skinning the deer we got in the garage."

"Alone?"

"He's a big boy."

Esme smiled and looked at Edward. "Does he need help?"

"Only if you want to help him gut a deer."

She made a face, "I don't think I'd be much good at that."

"Jasper would," Alice offered, "He used to hunt."

"Male bonding, yay!" Rosalie said.

Edward listened for a moment, noting the men's conversation in the other room. "Who else is here?"

"Sam," Esme told them, "Carlisle went back and forth with him over the radio, and he decided to just come over instead."

"What'd they say?"

"Sam seems all for it," she explained. "He doesn't seem quite as confident about the elders, but I think if we supply some food then they'll come around."

"There are even some instant mashed potatoes in one of the cabinets," Rosalie explained, "A few days passed the expiration date, but I think we'll live. And then you throw Emmett's deer into the mix-"

"How do you know it's Emmett's deer?" Edward asked, raising his eyebrows.

Rosalie gave him a look, "You killed it?"

He shrugged, "I'm just saying, why do you assume that Emmett was the one to kill it?"

She laughed, "Um, because he's more of an outdoor guy."

"And what am I?"

"An indoor guy..." Rosalie shrugged, and drew a laugh from both Esme and Alice.

"Esme..." Edward shook his head, "You're suppose to side with me."

"Girls versus boys," Rosalie continued to tease him.

He sighed, "Well on that note, I'm going to join the guys then."

Edward looked over his shoulder, still grinning and shaking his head before making his way to where Carlisle and Sam talked closely while Jasper stood with his hands on his hips more or less hearing out the conversation.

"We, uh, we got a deer," Edward told them at a lull in the conversation.

Carlisle nodded with a smile, "Great."

"Hi Sam." He held out a hand and Sam shook it.

"We'll make this work," Sam said, "I think soon we'll run out of allies to gain. People are becoming more and more savage, so the good ones are becoming hard to find. I hope the others will share my view, but either way I think your idea to hold a Thanksgiving is... good, for lack of a better word."

"As long as it won't make your group uncomfortable," Carlisle told him, "I don't want to put a wedge between you and anyone, or make them feel obligated."

"It's for the better," Sam went on, "Like I said, we need allies, and most of them fail to acknowledge that. Plus, I'm overly grateful for what you're doing for my wife."

Carlisle paused, "When should we come over?"

"We have tables, and we'll make a fire," Sam informed him. He glanced up at a working clock that hung on the wall, "I'll send someone over in a couple of hours."

"The deer should be skinned and ready by then," Edward said, "I think." He made eye with Jasper briefly.

Sam looked at Carlisle, "I'll be in touch on the radio."

"Great," he nodded and they shook hands.

"Edward." Sam shook his hand again and then looked at Jasper, "Nice meeting you."

Jasper nodded, "You too."

He turned and headed toward the door, bidding a farewell to the women in the living room before heading out the front door.

Carlisle sighed and looked at Edward, "So, you got one?"

"Emmett got one!" Rosalie called in, purposely teasing Edward.

Edward shook his head and Carlisle gave him a look.

"Yes," he confirmed, "Emmett killed the deer. Emmett, Emmett, Emmett... I think someone's got a crush."

"Crushes are for middle-school kids, Edward," she shot back, "Like you."

Carlisle let a grin slowly spread across his face, "I'll get filled in later."

"Yeah..." He nodded and looked at Jasper, "Alice said that you have experience with hunting and cleaning deer?"

Jasper nodded back, "Yeah."

"Would you want to go with me to help Emmett in the garage?"

"Sure."

"Alright." Edward lead the way and Jasper followed close behind.

Carlisle was happy to see everyone getting along, and hoped that it would last. He maintained his good feelings about Alice and Jasper, and heard the women all talking and giggling in the other room.

_Now we just have to win the tribesmen over_, Carlisle thought. He glanced at the radio and turned the volume up so they wouldn't miss Sam's call later in the day. He hoped that their Thanksgiving dinner would be what everyone needed to join forces, in a way, and assure some extra protection against walkers and other people.

Carlisle knew that the more numbers they had, the more likely they were to survive in the future. With the additions of Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper, he felt far more content than he had when it was just he, Esme and Edward up on the mountain.

_Yep_, he thought, _today's a big day._


	29. Thanksgiving

A fire brewed in a pit not far from the back of the house in back of the Blacks' yard. Tables were set up, and it appeared to be a late-autumn barbeque type of setting that was overly welcoming. Men, women and children all aided in finding chairs and bringing different dishes to the tables.

Sam escorted Carlisle, Esme and the rest of their group into the back yard through a wrap around fence that was complete with a collection of home-made spears that stuck out from all angles.

He glanced over at everyone's widened eyes as they approached.

"We've all taken most of the daylight hours making this fence," Sam explained. He ran a hand along one of the wooden spears, "It keeps them out."

"Why haven't we thought of this?" Emmett asked aloud to no one in particular. He glanced at Carlisle, "We gotta get on this."

"It's taken weeks," Sam told him, "Lots of hands on deck in making this. The girls took the time to sharpen most of the spears and we set it all up.

"Does this go all the way around the yard?" Carlisle asked, peering out towards the woods behind the house.

He nodded, "The back yard, yes."

"Keeps them out?" Edward asked.

"Worked so far."

Jasper looked amazed and nodded to himself in approval. "Must have taken a lot of long hours."

Sam nodded again, "What else is there to do, right?"

"Right."

"This is really impressive," Carlisle added with a nod. He glanced down and reached for Esme's hand as Sam lead them inside.

"We've had a couple of outdoor events," Sam told them, "But nothing major. Emily thinks this will be nice, and she seems happy about it so I'm all the more for it."

A young man walked toward their group with a wide smile on his face. He held out a hand. "Hey, you're, uh, the Cullens right?"

Carlisle smirked and nodded with a shrug. "That's right."

"Seth Clearwater." He shook Carlisle's hand first and then went around to the rest of them. "Thanks for coming."

Esme looked at the young boy, who she thought couldn't have been more than fifteen years old, if that. She couldn't believe how so full of joy he was, and how there seemed to be a slight twinkle in his eye despite their terrible surroundings. She also felt bad knowing that he, like Edward, had hardly gotten a chance to experience life and now they were stuck in this.

"Thank you so much for having us, Seth," Esme said to him with a sincere smile.

"Of course," he continued to smile, showing off his boyish smile, "Hey it saved us from going out in the woods to hunt since the big man brought the deer." He motioned to Emmett who smirked and snickered.

"He doesn't hunt _that_ much." Jacob joined the group with a smile, something that was very uncommon for him in the recent weeks. "Thanks for coming."

Everyone seemed outwardly surprised by his cheery nature, but welcomed it with open arms and followed them all over to where people were busy setting tables.

Esme, Rosalie and Alice immediately aided in laying out plates and setting things up.

Emily got them acquainted with everyone in the immediate area, introducing herself to them in the process.

"I've only really met Carlisle," she explained, "I assume you're Esme..."

Esme nodded with a smile, "Yes, and congratulations, Emily."

"Thank you." She smiled and put her hands on her stomach, "It's what's keeping me going."

Rosalie and Alice introduced themselves, and then went about their business in laying down utensils.

"Dr. Cullen." Charlie approached the small group of men and extended his hand. "I wasn't sure what happened to you," he admitted, "The hospital was..." he shrugged and shook his head.

Carlisle nodded, "Yes. I was very lucky to get out. Esme and Edward came for me. It was close."

The two men shook hands and Carlisle extended his own thankfulness in Charlie being alive.

"My daughter, Bella, just moved up here with me this week," he explained, shaking his head. "The poor kid doesn't know where her mother is, or even if she's..." Charlie changed his thought, "Her mother lives in Phoenix, Arizona. I like to think by some miracle they aren't experiencing what we are here."

"I'd like to thinks so, too." Carlisle nodded.

Charlie sighed. He looked at the rest of them, only recognizing Edward.

"How are you, Edward?"

He gave a closed-mouth smile, "I'm doing okay..." His eyes drifted over Charlie's shoulder toward the fire where Jacob and Seth were talking and laughing with another teenage girl. They passed around a half-eaten bag of marshmallows, and Jacob laughed as she tossed one at him.

"Who's that?" Edward asked, unable to keep the question from rolling off his tongue.

Charlie looked over his shoulder and the rest of them followed his gaze. "Bella..." then added, "My daughter."

Edward continued to stare while Carlisle carried on the conversation. "This is Emmett and Jasper," he pointed to the other two young men, "We came across them in our travels. They're good people."

The two of them nodded and shook hands with Charlie.

"Let's get this meat cooking," Billy Black said, wheeling up toward the fire where Jacob, Bella and Seth still were fooling around.

Jacob immediately helped his father the rest of the way and set him in a spot where he could feel the warmth from the flames.

Emmett accompanied Sam and a few of the other boys before they had all the deer meat ready to be cooked and prepared. The rest of them gathered in small groups, either around the fire or at the picnic-style tables that had been set up.

"We even have barbeque sauce," Paul Lahote gushed, drawing a hard smack on the shoulder from Jared.

"Dude!" he shook his head with both a scowl and a smile, "We're suppose to save that for when it's just _us_."

Carlisle looked at Esme, who stood across the fire from him and they shared a smile.

"You don't have to share it with us," Carlisle told the boys with a laugh.

"Yes they do." Emily gave her friends a look, raising one eyebrows as she smiled.

"You're not my mother, Em," Jared shot back, scrunching his nose. He quickly passed by her and placed a soothing hand on her stomach to show his affection despite the brotherly teasing and made his way toward the tables to pick on some food.

"They're crazy, but ya gotta love them," she said to Carlisle and Esme, shaking her head. "I'm outnumbered by men here... or boys I should say."

"You were correct the first time," Paul said, throwing a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Everyone mingled with one another, attempting to escape their surroundings, even if just for a night. Every so often the growls from beyond the fences brought them back to reality, though the friendly nature of the get-together helped to push the walkers out of their minds.

Bella stood closely with Jacob for the first part of the night before making a brief moment of eye contact with Edward.

"Hey," she tugged on Jacob's sweatshirt, "That... that's Edward, right? I didn't introduce myself to all of them."

Jacob's smile faded for a moment as he looked in Edward's direction, who abruptly took a sip from the cup he was drinking out of and looked the other way.

"Yeah, that's Edward Cullen," Jacob explained, "He's Carlisle's nephew or something."

"Carlisle's the doctor, right?" she asked, "The one my dad knows."

"The blond guy, yeah."

"Sam's wife must feel lucky that he was so close."

Jacob nodded and took a swig from his red cup. "Yeah." He smacked his lips as he finished the sip.

Bella continued to look in Edward's direction, sensing he was glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. She was about to ask Jacob another question, but the tapping of a glass caught everyone's attention.

"Hello! Hey! Everyone..." Emily stood up onto a chair and Sam nearly sprinted in her direction to make sure she was stable. "I'm fine," she whispered, still grinning. "I'd, um, I'd like to make a toast... to all of us... to Thanksgiving and to new friends. Yes, life kind of sucks compared to what it used to be, but we can make the most of it being with the people we love and care about. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, so I think the trick is to concentrate on today and to live in the moment. To our new friends, Carlisle, thank you for supporting us, and for helping me through this blessing that Sam and I are about to welcome into the world. Emmett, Edward... thank for you bringing such a wonderful, delicious meal for all of us to share." Emily raised her glass, "To old friends, new friends and family."

"Amen, sister!" Jared called out, drawing whistles from a number of the other boys.

Emily laughed and looked down to Sam, who stood below her with a half-smile on his face and helped her back down. The two of them shared a kiss and a few of their friends began to clap.

Sam looked around the crowd, catching a quick eye of Leah Clearwater, who was perhaps the only one without a smile on her face. She paced back out toward the fire and cracked open a beer. She slumped down into a lawn chair and sat by herself seemingly unnoticed.

Emmett wandered up to Rosalie, who was standing by Carlisle and Esme, and nudged her, "Feel like a beer?"

She smiled and bit her bottom lip before nodding, "You buying?"

He held out his arm, "This one's on me."

Rosalie linked her arm through his and the two of them shared a look before wandering toward a small stash of alcohol that the Blacks had been nice enough to share for the occasion.

Esme turned to Carlisle, "What do you think?"

"About what?" he pressed his eyebrows together.

She snickered, "About Rosalie... and Emmett?"

Carlisle still looked confused and Esme laughed again, this time to her thought of how smart her husband was though the little things she noticed on a day to day basis went right over his head.

"Oh..." he nodded and looked over his shoulder where the two of them were pouring drinks and talking closely, "Who knows..."

Esme leaned into Carlisle and he kissed her temple. He noticed Alice and Jasper sitting beneath a blanket together by the fire, looking more relaxed than they had since arriving on their doorstep. Edward stood alone with one hand in his pocket and the other around a plastic up. Carlisle followed his eyes, and there was one thing he _had_ noticed. Edward hadn't taken his eyes off of Bella the entire night.


	30. Paradise Lost

"Thank you again for having us," Carlisle said to Billy Black.

The two of them shook hands and Billy nodded, "It was nice to do something like this." He leant an ear to the woods where the growls continued as more walkers became impaled on the makeshift fence.

"Want us to go end them?" Jacob asked, knowing what his father was thinking.

"Not tonight, Jake."

"What if they attract more of them?" he asked.

Billy didn't want to see his son out beyond the fence near the woods line at night.

"We'll be fine," Paul chimed in, taking a piece of celery out of Jacob's hand as he popped it into his mouth.

"Not tonight," Billy repeated.

"We'll stay on the interior," Jacob assured him.

Jared and Quil joined the group, immediately inquisitive and seeming to be looking for a little adventure.

"What's going on?" Jared asked.

"We're going to off these undead bastards," Paul said, "The ones that are stuck on the fence."

Billy eyed them all, beginning with Paul. He didn't say another word, but let his disproval show in his expression. He returned his attention back to Carlisle as the boys scampered off.

"I'm glad we could all come together like this. You should maintain a permanent residence down the road."

Carlisle nodded, "We'd, uh, we'd like to. We have no intention of going anywhere."

Sam and Emily walked up holding hands. She flashed a smile in Carlisle's direction. "So... tomorrow?"

He nodded and smiled back. "Any time that's convenient for the two of you."

"Thank you," Sam said with a nod. He looked at Emily and then handed Carlisle a set of keys, "Some of our boys went and retrieved the Volvo. Here are the keys." He tossed them and Carlisle caught them.

"Wow, thank you. You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged, "And you don't _have_ to help my wife... but you are."

Carlisle nodded.

"Get home safely," Billy added.

"Thank you."

Carlisle looked at Esme, who stood to his left. She bid them all a farewell before looking around to round up their group.

Edward stood by the entrance to the gate and seemed to be waiting for their departure. Jasper and Alice were bonding with Rosalie and Emmett, still by the fire. Emmett had an arm draped around Rosalie's shoulders and she leaned into him just slightly.

"Romance is in the air," Esme gushed, giggling to Carlisle.

He snickered and looked at her and then gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Rosalie caught their eye and seemed to know it was about time to head back. She gave a tug on Emmett's sweatshirt. At the same Alice and Jasper seemed to catch on and the four of them headed in their direction.

"About that time, huh?" Rosalie asked as they got closer. She yawned and raised her arms in the air in a stretch. "This was nice. I'm spent, though."

"Same," Emmett agreed.

"Yeah," Alice nodded, "My eyes will probably shut the second my head hits the pillow."

"Pillows..." Jasper smirked, as he said the word as if it was his only remaining fantasy.

They all laughed lightly before giving a final wave to everyone as they headed out into the night.

"We got the car back," Carlisle announced. "It'll be a tight squeeze but it's only about a half-mile drive."

"Rose can sit on my lap," Emmett said, prompting a look and smile from Rosalie.

Esme looked back at the two of them and grinned, but didn't say anything.

Carlisle quickly made his way to the car first, opening the passenger seat for Esme as the kids all piled into the back. Edward squeezed in the middle between Emmett and Jasper, each of who had one of the ladies on their lap. He folded his arms and sat stiffly between them. He turned his attention toward the front of the car, noticing Carlisle and Esme link hands as he started up the engine.

Edward shook his head. Everyone around him triggered thoughts of Bella. He hadn't even spoken to her, though the thought of her spending the night at Jacob Black's house made him feel a twinge of jealousy. He didn't know why, and he knew it didn't make sense but he couldn't shake it.

Emmett began whispering in Rosalie's ear, making her laugh out loud.

Edward looked over at them, feeling like the buzz-kill as he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Again, he didn't understand why all of a sudden things like that bothered him.

Less than thirty seconds went by before Carlisle rolled the car to a halt in front of the house. The four car doors opened at once and everyone piled out, leaving Edward feeling as if some type of pressure had just been removed from his shoulders as the cool air hit him.

"I can't wait to sleep," Jasper said, reiterating what he had said at the closure of the party.

Carlisle shoved the keys to the car in his pocket, reaching for Esme's hand again as they took the stairs up to the porch. They were about to walk in when he suddenly switched his position and put his arm in front of her.

"Stop," he said, drawing a look of concern from everyone.

Esme jumped from his abrupt movements, but immediately saw why he was so alarmed.

Carlisle stood in front of Esme, soon to be joined by Emmett.

"Door's open," the young man commented. He looked at Carlisle and the two of them listened.

Alice and Rosalie exchanged a glance and Esme looked at Edward, before a scream escaped her lips as several walkers emerged from the darkness behind the half-open door.

"Oh, shit!" Emmett said as he and Carlisle stumbled back, nearly knocking everyone else down the short stack of steps.

The two men reached into their pockets for weapons as the snapping jaws of the undead closed in on them.

Carlisle held a walker back by the chest and Esme slammed a fist into its head before Carlisle plunged a knife through its eye. Likewise, Emmett did away with the walker closest to him.

Jasper stood behind them, now with his gun drawn, and passed a second one to Alice.

"Get out of the way," he demanded as more walkers poured out of the house that they once called a home.

Shot rang out in the night, piercing the ears of all of them. Alice and Jasper fired away, though soon ran out of rounds in the ten-round magazines they had in the guns.

"Get back to the car," Carlisle ordered, "Go..."

Everyone followed and Jasper cursed to himself as he hated wasted the bullets.

"Let's go Jas," Alice urged as he glared at the house that the walkers had taken over while they were away.

Carlisle shoved Esme in the car and made sure the rest of them were in in the back before peeling out and heading back down the street to Blacks. It was the only place they knew.

Everyone felt the same way; like the wind had been taken out of their sails. Their home had been completely taken over by walkers. All of their food and supplies were still inside. None of them knew if they'd have the access to it again.

Carlisle shook his head, and glanced at Esme as he drove. Her hand traced over her mouth and her eyes were frightened. He placed a hand on her knee and returned his gaze to the road. Carlisle knew they had secured the house before leaving so one question still remained in his mind: _how did the walkers get in?_


	31. Territorial

James, Victoria and Laurant sat together behind the camouflage of the night. Deep in the back of the oversized garage that was detached from the house the Cullens had been residing in, they snacked on cereal, bread and everything else they had managed to grab from the house. They intended to move on when the daylight hours approached and the walking dead just outside the doors wandered back into the depths of Hell they came from. While all three of them would have loved to overtake the house and claim it as their own, James made the call due to the amount of people living there, particularly the male presence that had grown with the additions of Emmett and Jasper.

"This wasn't the best move, James," Laurant said, shaking his head. He took a bite of a cracker and slumped down farther into the damp, darkness of the garage.

"Enjoying those crackers, though, ain't ya?" he said back, shooting him an angry look.

"There are a number of other houses on the street."

"We don't know if they're safe," James told him, shaking his head, "Don't by a sympathetic moron. It's survival of the fittest now. You do what you have to do to survive."

"He's right," Victoria chimed in, "Look at all this food we have here."

"If they catch us, they might kill us," Laurant said.

"They aren't killers," James told him, rolling his eyes. "There is nothing dangerous about those people."

"Survival of the fittest, James," Laurant reminded him, "You don't think the big guy would kill you if you were putting him in danger."

He narrowed his eyes and glared, "I'd love for him to _try_ to kill me."

"Enough..." Victoria hated to imagine James getting into a fight, never mind a fight to the death. "We did what we had to do and we'll move on when it's safe to do so."

Laurant continued to munch on some Saltines and took a deep breath.

"Get some sleep," James told the two of them, "I'll take first watch... see if anybody comes back."

"Are you sure?" Victoria asked him.

He nodded and peered out the small square windows in the center of the big, garage door. "I'm too wired to go to sleep right now. Laurant, I'll wake you in a few hours to take the second shift until sunrise."

_[A half mile up the road...]_

Carlisle knocked on the Blacks' door, looking over his shoulder at everyone else as he did. Emmett put a few walkers down with Jasper's aid. It was becoming routine and almost non-threatening when there were just a few of them to deal with. No one was even phased by it anymore.

Jacob came to the door and looked out at them, opening the door right away when he saw a few walkers in the street. "Come in." He wandered back into the living room where he had been sitting with Bella, his father and Charlie.

"Dr. Cullen," Billy said, pressing his eyebrows together, "What's going on?"

Sam crossed into the room from somewhere in the back of the house.

"Someone was at our place," Carlisle told them, "The door was open and walkers had taken the place over."

"They were pouring out of there," Emmett added, shaking his head.

"Who was it?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Carlisle admitted, "We secured the house before we left. The door was open."

"Looters," Jacob suspected, more or less just talking out loud.

"We'll make room," Sam offered right away, making eye contact with Billy.

He nodded, "Of course."

"Where were you living?" Bella asked, speaking up for the first time. She looked at Carlisle first, and then made brief eye contact with Edward.

"At a house down the street," Carlisle told her.

"Think there's enough of us to raid the house and kill them all?" Jacob asked. He, too, glanced at Edward, "Then you guys could go back there to stay."

"Jacob..." Billy shook his head, knowing by his son's tone that he wasn't overly warm to the idea of them staying.

"I wouldn't mind attempting that," Edward said.

"What? Tonight?" Bella asked, "That's... that's crazy." Her eyes shifted, "Jacob... no."

"Maybe in the morning then," Jacob said. He looked at Emmett now, who nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm sorry that happened," Charlie added, standing up. "We should be prepared here in case anybody tries to make their way over."

"They'd be insane to try that with the amount of people we have staying here," Jacob said, "Let them try."

"Jacob, Sam..." Billy said, "Will you find a place for everyone to stay?" He looked at Carlisle, "The basement is finished, believe it or not. There's room down there, a couple of couches, not enough for everyone but there's space to sleep."

"Thank you," Carlisle said to him. He put an arm around Esme's shoulders, "We know this must be a huge inconvenience on the drop of a dime like this."

"What else is there to do in bad times?" Billy asked, "We must all stick together." He glanced at Jacob, "Go on..."

Bella looked at all of them, "We're staying down there, too," she explained, "It's... cozy."

Alice smiled at her, "Thank you."

She nodded.

"Edward," Billy waved him in his direction, "How's that crossbow treating you?"

Edward walked slowly in his direction while the rest of the family wandered away with Jacob down to the basement.

"It's, uh... it's great," he admitted, "Do you want it back?" He suspected that would be Billy's next request.

"No." The middle-aged man shook his head. "I just prefer it, even more than the guns." He reached his hands out, "May I?"

Edward handed him over the weapon and Charlie approached, seeming to be intrigued by it also.

Bella looked on and Edward turned to her, finally extending his hand to properly introduce himself. "Hey."

"Hi," she said back shyly, looking down at first.

"I'm Edward Cullen... you're Bella?"

Charlie glanced over for a brief second and then continued admiring the crossbow with Billy.

"Yeah..." she shook his hand, "Yes. I just moved here from Arizona to live with my dad."

"Forks wasn't always this bad, ya know."

"I'm sure it wasn't."

There was a silence that fell over them and Edward's eyes drifted out the window. Bella shifted her position on the couch and he decided to be just a little brave and sit next to her.

The two of them sat stiffly in each other's company for a moment and his eyes drifted toward the window where rain began to pelt the windows.

"It's raining," he commented.

Bella gave a half-smirk, "The weather... yeah." _He must be bored with me already if he's talking about the weather_, she thought.

"It's a lot different from where I'm from," she told him, "It was hot... sunny."

"You don't like the rain?"

She shivered thinking about it, "No... any cold, wet thing." Bella shook her head. She looked back up at him, "Are you from here originally?"

"I've lived here for awhile," he explained, "I lived in Alaska until I was about eleven. My parents... well, they died in a car wreck and my aunt, Esme, took me in. That's when I moved here. She and Carlisle married soon after that."

"I... I'm sorry," Bella said, "I didn't mean-"

"It's fine," he assured her, "Esme and Carlisle are like my parents in a lot of ways, younger obviously, but they're great people."

"Good." She didn't know what else to say. "I lived with my mom forever. I used to come up here to Forks when I was a kid during the summer. I knew Jacob from back then. We were friends. It's nice to have a familiar face, ya know?"

Edward felt that same twinge of jealousy, as he saw how easily the two of them interacted. Here he was struggling to keep a conversation going. "Yeah, I can see how that would be... comforting."

"Yeah," Bella told him, "It is."

"Here you go, Edward," Billy said. He handed him back the crossbow.

"Thanks. If you need it ever, just take it."

"They don't allow me to do any of the fun stuff," Billy joked, tapping the wheels on his wheelchair.

"Edward..." Esme's voice trickled into the living room and a moment later she appeared, "Do you want to see where we'll be staying?" She flashed a warm smile at Bella, "Or you could just come down later."

"Um," he started, but Bella stood up.

"Come on," she said, "I'll go down with you guys." She glanced at Charlie, who was on his toes now that Edward had gotten himself close with her. "I don't know if I can handle the old men anymore." A smile crossed her face, and Charlie smiled.

Billy laughed, "Now your father might be old, but..."

Bella smiled and let a small chuckle leave her mouth.

"I'm Esme." She extended her hand.

"Bella."

Esme looked at Edward subtly before leading the way to the basement.

Jacob was just getting to the top step as the three of them were prepared to head down. He looked at Bella and Edward for a moment, but didn't say anything.

"Everyone all settled down there?" Bella asked him.

"Yeah," he said dryly, "Don't worry, I saved your spot on the pullout couch." He glanced at Edward.

"Thanks..."

"Want to help me get some food together?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, I'll be up in a minute," Bella told him, "I'm just going to... introduce myself... to everyone. And show Edward around."

"Okay." He took in a deep breath through his nose and paused, "I'll... see you in a minute then."

"Yep." She followed Esme down the stairs with Edward at her heels.

Jacob watched them go and felt a little territorial of Bella. He tried to shake the feeling but he couldn't. Even his father had picked up on the feelings that radiated out of him whenever he interacted with his old friend.

"Don't let your feelings for someone get you killed, Jacob," Billy had already warned him, "Don't get attached. People are dying left and right."

Jacob knew what he said had meaning, but he also knew that now more than even you had to live in the moment; you had to try to be happy as much as you could. For whatever reason, Bella made him happy. She took him away from the dark world they lived in.

_A bright spark from Arizona_, he thought.

Jacob crossed into the living room and his father immediately eyed him, having heard the short exchange of words by the basement stairs.

"Sam!" Billy called out.

The young man came hurrying down the hall. "Yeah?"

"Why don't you help Jacob with the food," he suggested. "That way Bella can get acquainted with the Cullens.


	32. Vagabonds

Carlisle pulled a walker off one of the many posts surrounding the Blacks' yard. Between all of them, they managed to rid the yard of the bodies in less than a half hour before Jacob piled them into the back of the truck.

Sam approached where Carlisle stood with Emmett, both with their hands on their hips.

"Do you want to come with Jacob and I to dump these things? We can swing by the house and see what's going on there."

Carlisle nodded, "Yeah. That sounds great."

Sam nodded and helped Jacob throw in the last one.

Esme and Edward approached the vehicle and Carlisle looked at her.

"We're going to take a look at the house," he explained, "To see if there are any of them still around, or if its salvageable."

She nodded, "Okay."

"Why don't you stay here," he suggested, "I don't think there's much room in the truck. Emmett and I will go."

"Room for one more," Jacob said, "Edward?" The last thing he wanted was Edward to get more time with Bella. He knew the way he looked at her, because he looked at her in that way too.

"Yeah." He nodded, "I'll go."

Esme's posture tensed a bit but she didn't say anything.

Carlisle pulled her toward him and kissed her on the forehead. "We'll be back soon."

Jasper wandered out to where they all stood. "Mind if I go with you?" he asked.

Jacob and Sam looked at each other.

"I've been in the military for the last three years," he explained, "I'm a good shot. I know how to handle a combat zone. I think I could be of some help."

"There's not a ton of room in the truck, but..." Sam shrugged.

"I'll ride in the back with the walkers," Jasper offered.

Sam raised his eyebrows and Emmett smirked.

"Let's roll," he said enthusiastically, "I love it here, but I didn't mind sleeping in that king sized bed all alone."

"Yeah," Jacob said, "It's a pretty full house here now." He glanced at Edward.

"Jacob..." Sam's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened a little.

"Why don't we get going?" Carlisle suggested, sensing some tension amongst everybody.

Jasper didn't hesitate. He used the oversized tire as a means to lift himself into the bed of the truck.

Edward ran inside to get the crossbow and then joined the rest of them in the truck.

Rosalie accompanied Esme at the end of the yard and watched the men pile in. Emmett sat in the back in the window closest to her and gave a smile.

"Em..." she said, approaching the vehicle.

Jacob started the engine, but didn't move the truck from its place as he saw Rosalie closing in. He let out an impatient breath and slumped back into the driver's seat.

Rosalie perched herself up on the bar on the side and rested her hands on the open window so she and Emmett were face to face. A second later she pressed her lips against his, placing a hand on the side of his face as she did.

Emmett kissed her back, breaking the embrace with a light chuckle and smile.

"I just don't want to never have done that," Rosalie said. The phrase made more sense in her head, but she was sure Emmett got the picture.

"Damn it, Rose," he said, shaking his head.

"What?" Her eyes, now vulnerable, opened wider.

"I wanted to be the one to do that first." He smiled wider and Rosalie felt her entire body fill with life and a little excitement.

Emmett leaned himself toward the window again and kissed her a second time.

Jacob rolled his eyes, though the rest of the men in the truck seemed to be surprised at their interaction. Esme smiled from the curb and put a hand over mouth. She had seen the moment coming and knew it was only a matter of time before their obvious connected brewed into something more. Alice joined her, slowly exiting the house and waved to Jasper.

Rosalie couldn't keep a smile from her face. She glanced in at the rest of them. "Be careful, guys." Her tone was overly bubbly, especially for her.

Emmett touched her face gently before Rosalie climbed down. The three women waved again, and Jasper gave Alice a subtle wink as he manned the back of the truck with a gun on each hip.

Rosalie sighed happily and looked at Esme. She giggled again and the two of them shared a hug.

Alice looked at Rosalie, "Oh... you two weren't a couple before?"

Rosalie laughed and shook her head, "No."

"I just assumed... well... yay!"

"I love this girl," Rosalie said, putting her arm around Alice.

The three of them shared a laugh together before returning to the house.

Jacob drove stone-faced down the street, not saying much of anything.

"Where do you get rid of these things?" Emmett asked him.

"We go to a different spot each time," Sam explained, "I'd imagine it could get really unpleasant if there was a mountain of these rotting bodies somewhere."

He made a face, "Yeah, I can imagine."

"The old landfill isn't far," Jacob said. He glanced to the right as they passed the house where the Cullens had been staying. Everyone else followed his gaze.

"We'll go in on the way back," Sam told everyone, "Let's get rid of the garbage first."

"I'm good with that," Jasper chimed in from the back.

Before the house was out of view, Jacob took a right turn onto another heavily wooded back road.

"Pull in that little turn-around area there," Sam said, pointing up the road a few hundred feet.

Jacob didn't argue. He began to pull off to the side onto a large dirt patch that he guessed many cars had crossed over the years.

Jasper leapt out of the back as the truck came to a halt and all four doors opened.

"Let's ditch em," Sam said enthusiastically, "So we can get back."

Emmett eyed a stray walker up the road and nudged Edward, "Can I see your machete?"

Edward looked down on his hip and handed the knife over.

Emmett smirked, "Thanks, buddy." He approached the walker enthusiastically and loved talking a little trash as he plunged the blade through the side of its head.

Carlisle helped Edward with a few of the dead walkers, while Sam and Jacob worked together. As Emmett returned, he and Jasper teamed up and within a few minutes, the pile of rotting flesh was disposed of by the edge of the woods.

Sam smacked Jacob on the back of the shoulder, "Good work."

"Yeah." He hopped back into the driver's seat and started the truck before everyone else was back in it.

"What's wrong, Jacob?" Sam asked him.

"What?" He made a face, "Nothing."

He didn't press the issue, though Jacob made a point to peel out, sending dust and dirt into the air as he whipped the car around to go back toward their house.

"Yeah!" Emmett urged, "Floor this thing. No cops anymore, right?" He laughed and hit Carlisle with his elbow.

Carlisle smiled and shook his head. He leaned his head all the way back against the back window and closed his eyes for a moment as they rounded back onto the road where both houses sat a half a mile apart.

Jasper stood up in the back with his hands on the roof. He pointed up as they approached the Cullens' house.

"Jacob," he cried out, tapping the roof with his hand, "There are people over there."

Jacob's eyes landed on the strangers ahead that Jasper had identified just a few seconds before he did. He slowed the truck as they got closer. He exchanged a glance with Sam.

There were two men and a woman. The man in front, a grungy looking vagabond with a ponytail, gave a wave.

"This has bad news written all over it," Edward grumbled. He looked at Carlisle, "They're out in front of the house."

Jacob pulled the car to a halt but kept it in drive.

Jasper stood towering over them in the back, making his guns known as he placed his hands on his hips next to where they clung to his belt buckle.

Carlisle hung out the window and Sam leaned across where Jacob sat.

"Hello," one of them said. He was a tall, lean man with dreadlocks and looked almost as ragged as the man with the ponytail.

"Who are you?" Carlisle asked first. He glanced at all three of them, and then back at the place they'd called home.

"I'm Laurant," he said, "And this is Victoria and James."

"I'm Carlisle." He glanced toward the front.

"I'm Sam... Jacob."

"Nice truck," James commented. He glanced up toward Jasper with a half-smirk.

"What were you doing in that house?" Sam asked.

"The house was filled with the undead," Victoria told them, sounding nonchalant as she did so, "We wanted to see if there were any supplies, or food, but we couldn't get in the door."

Laurant glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"We were staying here," Carlisle explained, "And unfortunately when we returned the door was open and yes, walkers, took over the place."

"How unfortunate," James commented, not seeming overly concerned about their ordeal.

"We're going to see if it's clear now," Sam informed them.

"Don't be too careful," Victoria said, "There were masses of them last night."

"Last night?" Carlisle asked.

"We spent the night in the garage," Laurant explained, "We didn't have anywhere to stay."

Carlisle glanced at the half open garage door and looked at the man skeptically.

"We've been staying at the house," Emmett chimed in, now sitting in the middle between Carlisle and Edward, "So, if we can get back in, we're going to stay."

"I didn't realize the territory had been claimed," Laurant told them, "We won't be a bother."

James stared almost menacingly, taking his turn to make eye contact separately with each of them. He draped an arm around Victoria's shoulders.

Carlisle eyed a bag that was strapped to Victoria's shoulder, "So, you weren't able to get inside?" he asked.

"No," she said, wearing an expression similar to James, "Those damn walking corpses." She smirked.

"We won't be a problem," Laurant assured them again. He appeared to be the only one slightly intimidated by the car full of men, complete with an arsenal of weapons.

Jacob glared at the three of them, and then pulled into the driveway.

The three drifters turned away, though James looked back as they piled out of the car.

Edward glared at him, and picked up on the bag Victoria had slung over her shoulder. He nudged Carlisle as James turned around and planted a kiss on the redhead's cheek.

Carlisle followed his stare and the two of them were on the same page. The backpack Victoria had on was Esme's.


	33. Familiar Stranger

Carlisle gave Emmett a quick wave, and motioned for him to get the attention of Sam and Jacob.

"Hey," he called out, prompting James, Victoria and Laurant to turn around. "That's my wife's bag you have there."

Laurant turned his attention to Victoria, who didn't look the least bit concerned or ashamed. She looked at Carlisle and smirked, shrugging the bag off her arm.

"Found it on the grounds," she explained and extended the hand with the bag in it, drawing a disapproving look from James.

Carlisle took the bag and nodded, glad that their exchange was simple. "Thank you." He glanced over his shoulder at the line-up of intimidating people who backed him up. Sam and Jacob stood with their arms folded and matching scowls. Edward and Jasper both sported a collection of weapons and Emmett's sheer size was enough to make anyone back down.

"I'm sorry for the mix-up," Laurant explained, "We're scavenging for supplies. I assure you understand."

"Of course." Carlisle forced a smile to keep the peace.

"Where's your wife now?" James asked.

Carlisle's expression changed, "With the rest of our group."

"This land is claimed," Sam reiterated with some added force, "It's Quileute land, and we'd appreciate if you'd move along. There are plenty of other houses, and places to stay."

"See, we've been actually struggling to find a residence," James told them, narrowing his eyes, "And with our lack of numbers, it's very dangerous for just the three of us."

"There are plenty of other houses, James," Laurant said. He glanced around their group, "We'll be on our way."

Victoria smiled and turned back around with James at her side.

The two parties, again, went their separate ways without another word, though concern lingered in the air.

"They had to have gone inside the house," Emmett pointed out, "Esme's bag was on a chair in the living room."

Carlisle looked at him and nodded, glancing up at the home.

"Come on," Jacob urged, "Let's go see what it's like inside."

Everyone agreed, following one another in a close-knit line. Jasper volunteered to clear the area, noting several walker bodies on the front step that they had stabbed to death.

He pushed open the large, wooden door that creaked heavily as it crawled open.

There was blood on the floor as they walked in. Jasper cleared the kitchen, noting no undead members in the room to the left.

"Cabinets are all open," he noted, "A lot of them empty."

Carlisle sighed in through his nose and held in his disappointment and frustration. The former homey place now appeared as dead as the rest of the world. Everything was disheveled, out of order and covered in blood.

"Well this sucks," Emmett commented. He glanced around at a streak left by a bloody handprint on one of the walls.

A low growl caught everyone's attention and Edward crossed into the living room past the front door. Carlisle followed with Emmett just behind him.

"Fucker..." Edward cursed, not caring at all what left his mouth. He slashed at a walker that emerged from a back room and made a complete overkill of the ordeal. When a second emerged, crawling this time, he laid into it with the same frustration and chopped it to bits.

Blood spattered all over the living room, though there was already enough of it where it simply blended in. The home wreaked of rotting flesh and everything they'd possessed was either gone or destroyed from the walker-fest that crossed through the house.

"They left the door open," Emmett said, shaking his head. He glanced up as Jasper rounded into the room.

Carlisle turned to him, already on the same thought process.

"Those three outside," he went on, "They waited until we left, raided the place, stuffed their bags and their pockets and whatever else they could and then left the door open."

"He's right," Edward told him, "That guy, the one with the long hair, he wasn't a good guy. Did you see the way he was looking at us? It was like they'd won or something."

"And the way he asked about Esme," Emmett added, looking at Carlisle again, "We shouldn't let them go anywhere alone... the women."

"We should kill them," Edward said.

Carlisle and Emmett both looked at him, seeming a little taken back by his words.

"Edward..." He shook his head, hoping it was just a phrase delivered by anger and nothing more.

Jasper looked deep in thought, and then his face twisted into a scowl. "James..."

Everyone's eyes focused on Jasper.

"Do you know him?" Edward asked.

Jasper looked up, and then let a hand slowly drift through his wavy, blond hair. "I... his jacket."

"What about it?"

"He was... he was a guard at the hospital. They wore those jackets."

"What hospital?" Carlisle asked.

"The hospital they were holding Alice at," he went on, "How didn't I... " His thoughts drifted off for a moment and then he regained the words, "Alice was being held captive at the mental hospital not far from here. James... she talked about him... he was a worker there. They're terrible people."

"Are you sure it's the same guy?"

Jasper looked like he was about to be sick. Nothing else since they'd known him seemed to phase him in the way James did. He looked at Carlisle. "He tried to hurt Alice while he was there.

"What if he stole the jacket?" Emmett asked with a shrug.

"No," Jasper shook his head, "No, her description of him... it's him. That's him." Fear possessed him for the first time, and everyone could see it. "I have to get back to Alice."

He turned toward the door and bolted outside.

"Wait!" Carlisle and Emmett called at the same time, but Jasper didn't hesitate.

"Jasper!" Carlisle called again, but he continued to go, glancing over his shoulder as he did.

"I'll meet you back at the house!" he called, not missing a beat in the way he ran.

Edward accompanied them on the front step, and Jacob appeared.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "Where's he going?"

"Back to your house," Edward told him.

"Why?" Alarm filled his voice.

"He knows the guy with the ponytail."

"Well, who is he?"

"He tried to hurt his... girlfriend... wife... whatever."

"When?"

Edward took a breath and looked at Jacob. "Maybe we should get back to your house, Jacob."

"Don't you want to see if there's anything salvageable here?"

Sam stood with them and shook his head, "It looks like our friends cleaned out the place. You're not safe here."

Carlisle looked at Sam.

"I checked all the rooms, and did a quick brush of the upstairs. Things are a real mess."

"It smells like the dead in here," Emmett added.

"You'll come back with us."

Jacob looked at him, "What's his name ran back already."

"Jasper," Carlisle said, adding more detail, "He said he knew the man James."

"We need to all stay together," Sam said again, "Stay with us. There's room."

"The food supply-" Jacob started, but Sam silenced him.

"Jake!" He looked at his younger counterpart, "We'll have to have a discussion when we get back. We'll let everyone know of the three we just met."

"What can they possibly do?" Jacob continued, "There's three of them."

"What if Bella is out beyond the fence alone?" He knew this would make Jacob put things into perspective, "Or anyone else for that matter?"

Jacob looked as if he had a comeback waiting but chose not to say it at the mention of Bella's name. As a reaction, he looked at Edward, studying his expression. The two of them locked eyes for a moment before Jacob returned his attention to Sam.

"Fine," he said, "You're right. We'll discuss this when we get back to _our_ territory."


	34. Matchmaker

In the short time they had known each other, Jasper Hale hadn't shown fear; not even the slightest bit. He was stone-faced and solid, never faltering when having to kill a walker and determined to prove his worth to the group. On a different wavelength, he was affectionate to Alice and made his dedication to her known through action rather than words. It was a side of him that balanced out the hardness that came along with his military background.

Now, they could all see it - the fear. It wasn't fear for him own life; it was a fear for Alice's.

Carlisle studied the young man's expression. He knew one thing for certain: James was bad; dangerous.

"Who is he?" Carlisle asked, pressing his eyebrows together.

"He's a killer," Alice said for certain, "He's... awful."

Esme looked at Carlisle and touched his arm. Concerned plagued her features.

"They raided the house," Emmett said, stating what everyone else was suspecting.

Everyone turned their eyes to him for a moment in the dark lighting of the lowest level of the Blacks' house.

Jasper pulled Alice to him and kissed her temple. She leaned into him, seeming to be spacing out.

"What do you think he wants?" Esme asked.

"Maybe just to take the supplies in the house," Edward suspected with a shrug, "He wouldn't have known Alice was with our group."

"Unless he was watching us," Jasper added, shaking his head, "I doubt it was a coincidence that they just happened to know when the house would be empty."

"He's right," Rosalie said. She looked at Jasper and nodded, "They had to have seen us leave."

"They had your backpack, Esme," Edward told his aunt.

She turned to him, looking almost startled, and then looked at Carlisle.

"We got it back," Carlisle assured her, motioning to the corner of the room.

Esme's eyes traveled to where he was pointing and felt him pull her up against him.

"Don't worry," he said, looking at Esme, but speaking to the group, "We have the numbers. They seemed to be scavenging. They're probably long gone by now, and we never go out unless its in groups."

"And armed," Emmett added.

"Maybe the walkers will get to them," Rosalie said, sounding callously hopeful.

Emmett turned to her and grinned, nodding as he openly liked the sound of her idea.

Jasper still looked concerned, and clung to Alice protectively.

"We won't let anyone hurt her, Jasper," Edward assured him.

"I'm not sure you know who you're dealing with," Jasper said, shaking his head.

"You don't feel like we could take him out?" Emmett asked, eyeing him.

"He's very manipulative," Alice informed them.

Emmett played with an arrow from the crossbow and ran his thumb along the tip. "This could be an easily solved problem."

A creak at the basement steps caused everyone to turn at once.

Bella took the stairs slowly, and put up her hands. "I'm... I'm sorry." She appeared confused, "Am I interrupting any-"

"No," Edward and Esme said at the same time. They looked at one another before Esme continued, "Not at all, Bella. This was your home before ours."

"I just... don't want to... impose." She searched for the right words and felt slightly self-conscious as everyone still looked at her.

"You're not," Edward assured her, sounding as if he were reading from a script. His posture was stiff and unnatural, and he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"There's this creepy ponytail dude roaming around with his red-head girlfriend and his Rastafarian friend," Emmett said, chuckling lightly to himself at his casual explanation.

Bella nodded, "Oh..."

"They might be dangerous," Edward explained, "You shouldn't go anywhere alone... no one should."

"They _are_ dangerous," Jasper corrected him.

Bella nodded, still feeling a little out of place amidst their group, "I'll tell the others." She shuffled toward a couch off to the side that sat in front of a flat screen television on the wall before grabbing a hat and scarf out a bag that she and Charlie kept their few belongings in.

Edward watched as she went and Emmett nudged him with a smirk.

Rosalie eyed the boys and smiled herself before Emmett pulled her to him and squeezed her side flirtatiously.

"Um..." Bella began, "I think Paul is starting to cook out on the grill." Her eyes shifted to Edward and she played with the scarf nervously. "You should come up."

Everyone's eyes drifted toward Edward, except for Alice and Jasper's.

"Thanks Bella," Alice said in a perky tone. She looked at Jasper, who looked just as concerned as before. His posture made him seem almost angry. "Let's go enjoy ourselves."

Carlisle looked at Esme, who nodded and he took her hand and towed her toward the stairs with Emmett and Rosalie walking closely behind.

Alice looked at Edward and smiled, as she sensed Bella's nervous attraction to him.

"Edward's a great hunter," she said, shrugging.

He looked at her in confusion, as he had only been recently perfecting the art of killing larger animals.

"Have you ever shot a crossbow, Bella?" Alice went on.

She looked at Alice before a smile crossed her face and she looked down a little shyly. "Um... yeah, no. That... that's not really my forte. Not yet anyway."

"Edward," she said cheerily, "You should show her like you showed me."

Jasper looked at her, also lost at her feminine logic to try to link the two of them together.

"Alice..." Edward grinned, unable to help himself.

"Well, I'm just saying, she should know right? Just in case she ever needs to use it."

Bella snickered again shyly before she made a moment of awkward eye contact with Edward. She wanted to go spend time with him if it were possible, but she didn't want him to feel obligated. "You don't..." she chuckled again, "You don't have to. I mean, I'm sure Charlie-"

"I don't mind," he cut her off.

"Oh."

"Yeah," he went on, glancing at Alice as if he was looking for his next cue.

"Set up a target out in the back," she explained.

"Right." Edward nodded at her and then shifted his eyes to Bella, who seemed to be waiting for him to say something more. "Um..." He eyed the crossbow that Emmett had left, "Do you want to try?"

Bella took in a deep breath through her nose, "Sure." She nodded, "Yeah. Sure."

Edward looked at Alice, who winked subtly at him before linking her fingers through Jasper's. "Come on," she urged him, "Let's try to socialize." The two of them walked ahead of Edward and Bella, who stood staring at each other for a moment. Edward offered with his hand that she take the stairs first and he followed close behind with the crossbow.

_Only in the apocalypse would a crossbow be a good ice breaker_, he thought, adding in his mind. _Thanks, Alice._

She turned around partway to look at him as if she could read his thoughts and gave him a small smile. Edward smiled back and couldn't wait for a little one-on-one time with Bella.


	35. Turn of Events

Jacob was organizing some of his more prized objects in his bedroom, always having the most useful clothing and supplies on hand in case of an emergency. Every so often he would re-categorize the important of certain things as he saw fit. There was the fear in the back of his mind that something could go terribly wrong; a legitimate fear in the world they all lived in.

He stuffed another duffle bag with winter clothing, adding it to the small collection of bags he'd already packed. He then took a black magic marker and wrote as big as he could manage: **WINTER CLOTHES.**

Jacob sighed and let his eyes drift out the window. His posture tensed and he quickly pushed open two of the blinds that already hung open in front of the window to get a better view.

Bella held the crossbow and aimed toward a small dirt pile in the very back of the yard by the fence. A piece of white paper laid in the middle of it, posing as a target. She fired the arrow, before smiling and glancing at Edward who seemed to be laughing as he ran to retrieve the arrow from where it landed to the left of the paper. It made him want to jump out the window when he went on to show Bella how to aim the weapon with more precision. His arms were around her and he spoke into her ear.

Jacob closed the blinds shut and huffed, sulking in the darkened room for a moment before deciding to jump in and ruin Edward's attempts to get close to his friend and love interest.

_He must think he's so smooth,_ Jacob thought angrily. He whipped open the door to his bedroom, before marching down the hall, through the living room and out the back door.

"Hey Jake," Quil greeted with a smile, but sensed his friend was on a mission when he passed by in a soldier-like march without saying a word back.

A few of the other boys gathered around Quil, whispering and smirking as they watched what was about to unfold.

"Bella." Jacob managed a full smile, hiding his jealously with everything he had. "What's going on?"

She turned and smiled back. "Hey Jake." She looked at Edward for a moment a grinned, still clutching the crossbow, "I'm just... learning how to be badass." Her voice was satirical and half-sarcastic, though he could see she was enjoying herself.

"I can see that." He continued his grin, and then glanced at Edward momentarily. "How long you been shooting this thing, Edward?"

"Oh, we've been out here for what, fifteen minutes?" he looked at Bella.

"No," Jacob clarified, "I mean how much experience do_ you_ have with the bow?"

Edward knew where the conversation was going. Jacob was sizing him up; trying to claim his territory. As much as he didn't want to go down that road, he felt the competition rise in his chest.

"Since things went south," he admitted, "Carlisle, Emmett and I have been using this as our primary way to kill deer."

"_Our_ deer," Jacob said, emphasizing the first word.

"Well-" Edward began, but his younger counterpart cut him off.

"And technically that's _our_ bow. You took it from the store on the reservation."

"The store was ransacked, Jacob," Edward said, raising his voice so he could finish a sentence without being cut off, "And your father, Sam and all of us made a deal."

"Only because of Emily."

"Jacob-"

"Guys..." Bella stepped in, eyeing both of them and positioning herself slightly in between them. "What's with the 'you' and 'us' thing? Aren't we all... together? I mean, we have to fight these walker, zombie things together."

"That's how I see it," Edward claimed. He knew his siding with Bella would leave Jacob in a type of checkmate.

"Right..." Jacob said, reluctance flowing in his voice, "We are. It's just... Sam, my father, me... we were all nice enough to allow you to keep that."

"And we've been nothing but thankful."

Bella's eyes shifted between the two young men in front of her. She could see the tension, and had a guess as to what it was about.

"Why don't I keep it?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood with a smile, "I mean, I'm like Switzerland, right?"

Edward looked over at her and felt some of the tension in arms and legs begin to fade. A smile spread across his face and he snickered. "I think that would be a safe bet." He glanced over his shoulder toward the sheet of paper that had yet to be pierced by an arrow. "We should probably keep practicing though."

Bella smiled and shrugged, "Yeah, I guess if I'm protecting us I should be able to hit my target."

He nodded, still grinning.

Jacob's scowl loomed over them, and he tried to unclench his jaw as he spoke with Bella.

"I've been using a bow for years," he informed her, "If you'd ever like some _real_ help you know where to find me."

"I'll take input from both of you... or Emmett, or Sam or anyone else who wants to help."

Edward decided to take the high road. He continued to smile and then looked at Bella. "Maybe it would be best if Jacob was the one to teach you. He _does_ have more experience than I do, so it'll only be beneficial."

Jacob's eyes widened and shock began to pull at his facial features.

Bella tried to hide her slight disappointment, despite not at all minding keeping company with Jacob. Something about spending time with Edward made her feel excited and alive.

"Sure." She kept her voice nonchalant, not wanting to offend her old friend or let Edward in on the disappointment he caused her in his absence. "I'll, uh, let you know when I hit the 'badass' status."

Edward chuckled. "Okay. I'll be by the fire with Rosalie and Emmett. I'll wait to hear your cheering."

Bella smirked and let a light laugh leave her mouth.

Jacob greenly eyed their interaction, and felt some of his jealousy fade as Edward strolled away.

Bella watched him go, but almost immediately turned her attention to Jacob. "Okay," she said, "I'm yours. Let's continue with the crossbow lesson."

"You mean badass lesson." He smiled wide.

She laughed lightly again, "Yeah, Jake. Turn me into a badass."

Edward wandered over to where his friends were sitting closely by the fire, each with a portioned plate of food.

Rosalie sat snugly against Emmett, who kept her as closely against him as possible.

"So," Emmett said with a boyish grin, "Bella."

Rosalie giggled and Edward looked over his shoulder to make sure no one, particularly Charlie, was in the vicinity of their conversation.

"Yeah... Bella." He shrugged.

"It looks like Jake just stole your thunder."

"He's got more experience with the crossbow."

"So, you're just going to throw in the towel that quickly?" Emmett asked, shaking his head. He made a face, "Lame, bro."

Edward laughed and looked over toward the back of the yard.

"She's looking over here every few seconds," Emmett added, "So you're aware."

"Yeah..." He took a deep breath as the word left his mouth.

Rosalie looked at Emmett and pouted her lips. He eagerly leaned in and gave her a short series of kisses.

"Get a room," Edward teased, shaking his head as he picked up a stick to poke the fire.

"Would if we could," Emmett told him, drawing a playful punch from Rosalie.

"Carlisle!" Sam's anxious voice drew everyone's eyes in his direction by the back door.

Billy was the first to respond, wheeling himself in Sam's direction, "What is it, Sam?"

Carlisle raced from where he stood casually with Esme and a few of the tribe members to meet the two of them.

"Emily," Sam said, "She's in a lot of pain. I think... I think this might be it."

"What?" Billy asked, responding in Carlisle's place.

"She's going into labor."


	36. Bittersweet

Carlisle rushed inside, allowing Sam to lead the way. Immediately, he heard Emily's discomfort, though she was doing well keeping it together.

She winced as the two of them crossed into the living room where she had been sitting in an attempt to relax. Her hands were on her stomach and her eyes were pressed shut as she took in the pain that went along with what Carlisle guessed was the beginning of the birth process.

"Sam," he said calmly, "Get those blankets from the couch and lay them on the floor." He shoved the wooden coffee table to the side and made room for Emily. Almost everyone from the back followed them inside and were gathering in and around the living room.

Sue Clearwater, Esme and Rosalie were the first three in and line and all looked at each other with the same thought.

"She deserves some privacy," Esme spoke, reading the minds of the two women beside her.

"I'll get some sheets to hang around the door," Sue offered with a nod. She eyed all of the boys, who all wore concerned expressions as they looked on. "Go out back," she ordered, "Or into the kitchen. Emily needs her space."

They quickly obeyed, and Rosalie took a glance over her shoulder at the young mother-to-be. When Sue returned the three of them aided in the process in closing off the living room.

Sam knelt down at his wife's side, gripping her hand with his own. "I'm here," he told her, brushing her hair back.

"Esme!" Carlisle called out, "Will you get my bag? The one with all of the supplies in it?"

Esme didn't even take time to respond. She hurried down into the basement, grabbed his back and hurried back toward the living room.

"Thank you." He smiled quickly before returning his whole attention to his patient. "Emily," Carlisle went on, "You're going into labor. You'll be a mother in just a short time. It'll be the best moment of your life."

"It doesn't feel that way right now," she breathed.

Carlisle chuckled to keep her calm, "I know. But it won't be long."

Sam looked at the doctor, sensing he was using everything in his back pocket to keep Emily feeling as calm as possible. He wanted to ask if she'd be okay; if she'd live through the experience without the medical technology that they were used to.

_Was the water they had even sanitary anymore? Was anything sanitary? Could Emily get an infection and die later? Would she die instantly? What if a 'C' section needed to be performed? What then?_

"Sam, I need you to help me count," Carlisle interrupted his thoughts. "When it's time for Emily to push, you'll have to count with me."

"Okay." He nodded enthusiastically, feeling his hands begin to shake from the pressure from something as simple as counting.

Carlisle nodded in his direction, and then began to spout out what was about to take place in the birthing process with Emily. "You're doing excellent already," he explained, encouraging her as he went.

"I haven't done anything," Emily disagreed with a painful smile. She kept her eyes shut from the pain.

"You have, and you're doing great," he reiterated. "Sam, is there a case of water on the front step that you put out there to get cold?"

He nodded.

"It's pure," Carlisle told him, "Untainted. I'll need a few bottles."

"I've got it." Sam stood up, and Emily clutched his hand.

"No, Sam. Have one of the boys go," she said desperately.

"I'll be right back. It'll take all of five seconds." Sam kissed the back of her hand, leaving the room for a short moment before returning with three bottles of water for Carlisle.

"Thank you," he replied.

"Is this enough?" Sam asked.

"For now. We need to make sure it's clean for when the baby arrives."

He nodded and rejoined his wife, holding onto her hand again. She thankfully clutched him and laid her head all the way back down onto the floor.

"Emily," Carlisle said, beginning his instruction, "I'm going to use countdowns of three," he stated, "As in, one-two-three... on the three count I want you to push as hard as you can. Sam's going to count with me." He placed a hand on her stomach, attempting to feel the way the baby was positioned.

"Okay Em?" Sam asked, taking a deep breath.

"Yes." She took in a deep breath and anticipated the first count.

"One..." Carlisle began, "Two... three. Push."

Emily did as he asked, pushing with everything she had, screaming as she did so.

Sam looked as if he was totally caught off-guard, noting he missed the count.

Carlisle had only given him the job to keep him occupied and to feel as if he was included in the process. He wanted Sam to stay focused and feel important in the delivery process. "Ready Sam?"

He nodded. "Ready."

"One..." Carlisle began, and then was joined by Sam this time. "Two... three."

Emily pushed again, repeating the strenuous first push.

Carlisle took a deep breath, "You're doing excellent, Emily. I need you to do it a third time." He and Sam began their countdown again and Emily pushed.

Sam began to pick up on Carlisle's facial expressions. He could see that something wasn't right. The calm doctor was great at hiding his worries, but the sweat that began to drip along his hairline and coat his forehead was anything but camouflage.

"What?" Sam asked, unable to keep himself from asking. He didn't want to upset or worry his wife, but he could see that something wasn't going according to plan.

"Count with me again, Sam," Carlisle instructed.

Their cycle repeated for several times before Emily screaming for the baby to be delivered.

Carlisle took a deep breath, letting strain show for the first time. "I need to perform a C-section."

Emily winced and whined and Sam's face dropped. It was his worst fear in regards to Emily's condition.

"The baby," Carlisle went on, "It's positioned the wrong way." He shook his head and fiddled in his bag for more tools available.

"What are the chances?" Sam asked.

"Just save my baby," Emily begged through strenuous breathes, "I don't care about me."

"No!" Sam shouted. "Save them both."

"I will," Carlisle said, praying to himself that it was possible.

"My baby," Emily went on, "Please. Just save him."

Carlisle looked at the writhing mother. He didn't know what was to come for either of them. He did know that he would work with what he had and do everything in his power to keep tragedy from striking their family.

"Rosalie!" he called in from the other room, remembering she was attending school to be a nurse, or a doctor. He couldn't accurately recall the conversation, though knew she was studying in the medical field prior to the collapse of society.

Rosalie rushed into the living room at his call. "Yeah?"

"I need you to be my second pair of hands," he explained, "You were studying to be a doctor."

"Sort of."

"I need your help."

"Okay." She nodded.

"Get all the tools that I ask you to, when I ask you to. Okay?" He kept his voice positive and as uplifting as possible.

"Okay," Rosalie repeated again, feeling her heartbeat begin to pick up. She swallowed hard and waited.

Carlisle leaned over Emily, "I'm going to perform a C-section," he told her, "You know what that is?"

"Yes."

"We don't have medication stronger than Advil here," he explained, "And it won't do much, if anything for this. It certainly won't kick in, in time."

"I just want my baby to be safe."

"It will," Carlisle assured her, "You're going to have to be strong." He looked at Sam, "She needs you."

Sam's eyes glistened but he didn't let a tear fall. He held onto Emily's hand and Carlisle took a deep breath.

"Are you ready, Emily?" he asked.

She nodded, and painful tears streaking out of her eyes.

Carlisle looked at Rosalie and pointed to a tool. She handed it to him and he proceeded with the operation.

"You're strong, Emily," he repeated before proceeding with the painful procedure.

Her anguish was torture for Sam, for Carlisle and for Rosalie. Everyone else who stood behind the curtain couldn't ignore it, and the moment left their extra large group silent and overwhelmed.

Carlisle tried comforting Emily as he spoke, but he couldn't keep his worries from surfacing as he went on.

Rosalie winced, seeming to feel the woman's pain in the moment. She followed Carlisle's commands and bit her bottom lip, wanting to cry but not wanting to upset Sam in the process, who was barely holding it together.

Carlisle felt the young woman's life slipping out of his hands, but felt a rush of relief when the baby was finally released from the woman, sending loud, newborn wails into the air.

Sam's face dropped, combining his previous fear and angst with something deeper. It was a rush of relief, and the look only a father would know.

Rosalie, too, let her mouth drop open in a sense of joy when the baby cried relentlessly in Carlisle's arms. She let her own share of tears drop and felt overcome with emotion.

Carlisle was professional, observing the child to make sure it appeared healthy on the surface. He then glanced down at Emily, who's eyes were closed as she laid lifeless on the floor.

Sam followed his gaze and began shouting. "Emily!" He grasped her hand, "Emily!"

The curtain flung open. Billy and Sue were the first to emerge and tried to catch up to the bittersweet scene that was unfolding in the living room.

Before any of them could react, the front door burst open and walkers began piling into the house.


End file.
